Filenews 12 December 2023 - by Angelos Nicolaou
The creation of an adventure park in a Natura 2000 area, in the heart of the Troodos National Forest Park (NFP), is planned by a private company, to which state forest land has been leased on 2/7/2015.
In the lease agreement reference is made to a decision of the Council of Ministers dated . 17/3/2015 for the lease of forest land of a total area of approximately 40 decares in the location "Xerokolymbos", in the community of Foini in the Limassol district.
The proposed project concerns the construction and operation of a natural theme park, which will offer adventure activities to the public, as stated in the information report submitted for examination to the Environmental Authority. Adventure activities will be related to climbing, balance, swinging and climbing. The proposed development will include a wooden tower, an administration building, parking spaces for 20 vehicles, as well as equipment consisting of wooden structures and ropes.
According to the information report, during the construction stage, the main works to be carried out concern the erection of the wooden structures and specifically the erection of the administration building and the tower. Furthermore, it is proposed to place equipment on selected trees to create the routes that visitors will use. This equipment will mainly concern small wooden structures and ropes. Based on the plans, the construction of a suspension bridge and the creation of parking spaces for 20 vehicles are planned.
The works for the construction of the proposed project are expected not to last for more than three months. The two wooden buildings will be prefabricated, therefore during the construction phase of the proposed project their assembly and installation will take place at the selected points.
According to the designers, extensive earthworks will not be required, as the wooden buildings are going to be elevated. For the installation of buildings, micropiles will be carried out with a special hand drill. For the parking lots will also not require extensive earthworks. Their construction will include mild leveling works of the soil, while the installation of metal fencing is foreseen. If necessary, metal fencing may be replaced by wooden fencing. The installation of equipment on the trees is to be carried out, for the most part, by manual means.
The area in which the works will be carried out will be very limited in relation to the total area of leased land due to the small footprint of the project. Specifically, the area in which the main construction works will be carried out, which include the construction of wooden infrastructure and parking spaces, will not exceed 665 sq.m., the works for the installation of equipment on the trees will not occupy any area, while during the construction stage of the project no earthworks and building works will be carried out.
The main infrastructures and basic elements of the proposed project are the following:
Tower: This is a three-storey building, in which the start of visitors' activities will take place. The area of the tower will be 36 sq.m.
Administration Building: The building will consist of wood and inside it will be stored the safety equipment (e.g. belts, helmets, etc.) that will be used in the activities of the adventure park. Its area will amount to 25 sq.m.
Suspension bridge: The bridge will consist of wood, nets, ropes and metal elements. The bridge will be placed over the river found within the development site.
Equipment: The equipment that will be placed in the adventure park will consist of ropes and small wooden structures, such as aerial pulleys, wooden platforms, wooden stairs, wooden barrels, wooden climbing walls and cross ropes (nets).
Equipment for visitors' activities will be placed outdoors and supported on tree trunks. The activities will be divided into six routes.
Each route will include a series of activities related to climbing, balance, swinging and climbing. For the creation of these activities, outdoor equipment will be installed, supported by trees, which will consist mainly of rope and wood.
Parking spaces: Parking lots will be located within the adventure park and will serve 20 vehicles in total. The total area that will be occupied by the parking spaces amounts to approximately 600 sq.m.
Forest and mountainous project area
The study area as well as the development area of the proposed project are located within the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Special Protection Area (SPA) of the Troodos SAR.
The area in which the proposed project will be located falls within the highest mountains, as it has an altitude of about 1,380 meters. The development area is located in urban zone Z3, i.e. urban zone for water protection. Between the road Pano Platres – Trooditissa and the development area of the proposed project there is the existing dirt road, which passes through the picnic area of Trooditissa.
In the immediate surrounding area of development of the proposed project, the land use is forested, since it falls within the Troodos NFP. The entire area within a radius of at least one kilometre shall be under protection. In the area there are the monastery of Trooditissa, the chapel of Trooditissa and the picnic area of Trooditissa. The monastery of Trooditissa is located about 230 meters southwest of the development site of the proposed project. In addition, the area with the highest altitudes is characterized by dense vegetation and trees.
The chapel of Trooditissa is located about 150 meters south of the development site of the proposed project. The picnic area of Trooditissa is located about 80 meters south of the development area of the proposed project.
The area in which the project is proposed to be located is characterized as forest and mountainous, while it is state land. Within the proposed development area, the river Diarizos passes, which ends at the water supply reservoir (drinking water dam) of Arminos.
The project is proposed to be implemented on leased land, which belongs to the Department of Forests and is part of the Troodos NFP. The area of the site where the proposed project is proposed to be included amounts to approximately 30,000 sq.m. of the total leased area. From the area of 30,000 sq.m., the total area of land occupation will be limited to approximately 665 sq.m. and will concern the siting of two buildings and parking spaces.
