Filenews 10 December 2022 - by Angelos Nicolaou
Illegalities with the construction of premises, residences, catering centres, kiosks and refreshments, the operation of bars, the placement of beds and umbrellas of the sea, the operation of livestock premises, interventions and illegal constructions, and other arbitrary acts on the Akamas peninsula and especially within the National Forest Park (SAR), are recorded by the Audit Office in the "Environmental Management of the Akamas Peninsula – Have the desired results been achieved?", posted yesterday.
The Report also records cases of illegal roads / paths, fireworks, illegal grazing, illegal clearing of forest land, clearing of wild vegetation, illegal lighting of fires, paved – carved steps, and more. According to the Audit Office, the delay in taking measures to remove serious arbitrariness within the SAR raises concerns about the protection and management of the area. In fact, there is a lot of illegal interventions and with the delay in law enforcement, pending the lengthy procedures that are taken to court, the illegalities are rewarded. All cases cause serious environmental degradation and create a serious risk of degradation mainly of the nesting beaches of the two endangered and strictly protected species of sea turtles on the Akamas peninsula.
The special report presents 8 specific cases of illegalities by the Audit Office, 20 cases by the Department of Forests, 7 by the Game and Fauna Service and 10 by the Department of Environment.
During the audit of the Audit Office, a significant number of illegal premises were identified in and near the protected area of the "Natura 2000" network of the Akamas peninsula. The cases are recorded in the Special Report, underlining that some of them are the interests of well-known land developers in the area, who may benefit from any modification of the condition relating to the farms to be visited. The Audit Office considers the legalisation of illegal premises, especially within the "Natura 2000" network area, unacceptable. The Audit Office's view is that the Department of Environment, as an Environmental Authority, has a responsibility to rectify illegalities and protect the environment and promote the taking of the necessary measures, on the basis of the provisions of the Environmental Liability Law of 2007.
The Director of the Department of Environment stated that the Department is responsible for the restoration of species and habitats, while the removal of illegalities and the removal of any illegal constructions or premises is the responsibility of the relevant District Officer or the Department of Town Planning and Housing (TPO).
The eight cases identified by the Audit Office concern:
1) Restaurant, which is located within the Beach Protection Zone in the southern Gulf of Lara, in Kato Arodes, on state forest land.
2) Prefabricated premises, which abuts with the Protection Zone of the Beach in the southern Gulf of Lara, in Kato Arodes, on private land.
3) Refreshment stand, which is located at a distance of about 450 m. of the Beach Protection Zone in the southern Gulf of Lara, in Kato Arodes, on Turkish Cypriot private land.
4) Refreshment stand, which is located near (at a distance of about 450 m) of the Beach Protection Zone in the southern Gulf of Lara, in Kato Arodes, on private land.
5) Refreshment stand, which illegally provides services to bathers and is located at the mouth of the White River, in the Municipality of Peyia, on private land.
6) Restaurant, which is located in the bed of Aspros River, in the Municipality of Peyia, on private land.
7) Restaurant, which is located in the bed of the Avakas river, in the Municipality of Peyia, on private land.
8) Restaurant, which is located on the outskirts of the Peyia State Forest, on private land.
For the fourth case, the Planning Authority rejected, during the years 2011 – 2017, a total of five planning applications for the construction of a refreshment stand and handed over, to the owners, on 21.10.2011, a Notice of Enforcement, which provided for the demolition of the illegal premises, but the owners did not comply.
The Director of the Department of Forests (TI) reported that the BIS carried out a surveying work at the "Lara" site, identifying various interventions (restaurant, residence and other permanent and temporary structures), with a total area of about 6,000 sq.m. A criminal case was registered against the offenders, which is before the Paphos District Court for trial with a two-year delay in taking judicial measures.
Complaints with interventions
In the context of the Management Control of the Akamas Peninsula, the competent Departments of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Interior were requested to submit an extract from the register of complaints they keep concerning the Akamas Peninsula, which would also include the relevant results of the investigation of these complaints. The Department of Forests reports 20 complaints about restaurants, bathers' services, kiosks and livestock premises. The Game Service mentions 7 letters sent to the competent Authorities of the Pafos District concerning the construction of premises/residences, the operation of bars, restaurants and leisure centres. The Department of Environment refers to illegalities and interventions of a restaurant in the Baths of Aphrodite, premises in the area of Aspros Potamos, road construction to the Androlykos quarries and constructions in the Sea Caves of Peyia.
