Filenews 9 March 2023 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The revocation of the decision taken by the former Council of Ministers to legalize two floors illegally erected in the Sun City project in the municipality of Sotira, leads with its response the Department of Environment to the Department of Town Planning and Housing. Specifically, in a letter sent yesterday, the results of the Special Ecological Assessment (EDA) report are invoked and it is concluded that the approval of the licensing of additional buildings is not allowed.
Therefore, since no planning permit has been issued to date, the Council of Ministers must immediately proceed to the revocation of its decision and comply with the conditions set by the Environmental Authority, while restoring the fundamental principles of legality and the rule of law.
In the letter, the Director of the Department of Environment, citing the Special Report of the Audit Office of the Republic on the developments of the Sun City project, interests of a specific politically exposed person, within or near the "Natura 2000" Network, underlines that the Department of Environment evaluated the Environmental Impact Assessment in accordance with the relevant legislation and issued an environmental opinion for the project on 29/11/16, which included a hotel with 5-6 floors, 406 beds, and 11 villas.
It notes that the cumulative EDA report issued in June 2021 took into account existing licensed developments, but not illegal developments within unlicensed additional floors.
The evaluation of the Special Ecological Assessment Report resulted in the limitation of the rates without privileges for the proposed new developments and without derogations. It also mentions, for illegal unlicensed buildings, to implement the relevant legislation to reduce pressures in the area. It is emphasized that the reduction of pressures concerns and is interpreted through the restoration of unassessed / licensed buildings in relation to the environmental study that was evaluated and an environmental opinion was issued.
In the meantime, the representative of the Audit Office told us that the letter from the Department of Environment confirms the facts, which are not open to dispute anyway. That is, that the legally binding conditions set by the Environmental Authority in the EDA make the decision to legalize the illegalities illegal. "In every well-governed state, offenders are held accountable and illegalities are removed. This in Cyprus, instead of being the rule, is the exception. In this particular case, however, the rule of law is being saved because we are protected by the acquis communautaire, which makes environmental conditions legally binding. We therefore expect the new Council of Ministers to respect the legality and revoke the decision of the previous Council of Ministers", concludes the representative of the Audit Office.
