in-cyprus 15 August 2024 - by Constantinos Tsindas
People have uploaded photos and videos of a party held last night at a well known coastal club that has been operating illegally for years on a Yialias area beach, home to the nesting ground of two species of sea turtles, Caretta Caretta and Chelonia Myda, constituting a Natural 2000 Special Preservation Zone. In the social media video taken yesterday late afternoon, one can clearly see the tyre marks of vehicles on the protected beach.
Three years ago, the Paphos district administration ordered the club closed, with removal of all illegal construction. It was development that had gone ahead by the owner without an environmental study or a building permit, inside the protected beach perimeter.
In spite of the district administration demanding the dismantling of the club within ten days, it’s been three years and according to the Filenews report, the local authority has not in any way intervened to enforce the relevant legislation by demolishing all structures.
The club owner has effectively flattened sand dunes, amongst other environmental destruction, affecting the area’s ecosystem by creating parking spaces, a lawn, an irrigation system and installing electricity cables, light and noise pollution all extremely damaging to the sea turtles.
