Filenews 5 September 2025
Significant irregularities were found in the embankments of an agricultural plot in the area of Sea Caves, following a relevant complaint, while permission has not been given for the installation of a platform in Agios Georgios Peyia, said Iraklis Achniotis, First Officer of the Department of Urban Planning and Housing.
In his statements, Mr. Achniotis said that as far as the embankments are concerned, there are obviously irregularities. As it seems, Mr. Achniotis said, volumes of soil were unloaded there and levelling with excavators followed. These phenomena, he added, are obviously inadmissible.
Regarding the placement of a platform and structures for the organization of an event in Agios Georgios Peyia, Mr. Achniotis said that these constructions should have been evaluated and licensed, which has not been done. On this issue, he continued, the EDA has been informed and measures are expected to be taken. Indicatively, he noted that, "applications must be submitted to secure an urban planning permit".
He also pointed out that in addition to the prefabricated platform that was moved and dismantled, there are permanent structures in the area of Agios Georgios Peyia of similar texture or character that are permanent. Those constructions, he said, are a matter to be evaluated.
Iraklis Achniotis, First Urban Planning Officer of the Department of Urban Planning and Housing, said that the issue that has been preoccupying public opinion in recent days, regarding what is happening in the coastal area of the Municipality of Peyia, highlights long-standing issues and problems that mainly relate to the mechanisms for the control of development and the effective implementation of the provisions of the Urban Planning and Spatial Planning Law as well as the legislation on the Regulation of Roads and Buildings.
Mr. Achniotis noted that the Achilles' heel of our urban planning system has always been the aspect of the imposition of urban control.
Especially this period, however, which exactly after the reform of Local Government, where a large part of the jurisdiction for the control of development has been assigned to the Provincial Local Government Organizations (EOAs) while the mechanisms for the prevention and enforcement of EOAs have not yet been fully established and functioned effectively, is an "opportunity" that is offered to the skilful to proceed to arbitrariness and the creation of fait accompli.
With regard to the carrying out of clearings, earthworks, the deposit of excavated products, etc., especially in an environmentally sensitive area, where the urban planning regime characterizes it as a protection area (Urban Planning Zones Z1 and Z2), any alteration of the natural environment is controlled, must be strictly controlled, he added.
He also pointed out that the reference or invocation of intentions for the agricultural utilization of plots is not acceptable because the area and the urban planning zone do not provide for such a thing as would possibly be permissible in an agricultural zone.
However, even in such areas offered for agricultural exploitation, it should not be considered a priori that serious alteration of the natural soil, the deposition or removal of soil volumes and the diversification of the natural relief without securing the necessary permits from the competent authorities is acceptable, he added.
Mr. Achniotis then referred to the publications of the last few days related to activities in the area of Agios Georgios Peyia, where extensive configurations and constructions have been carried out in Protection Zones, without the necessary urban planning and building permit being secured in advance. A platform had been set up in the same area very recently for the purposes of an event that has been moved. However, there are permanent constructions of area and characteristics (scale and form) of such which should definitely be evaluated in the context of an urban planning application that should be submitted to the competent Urban Planning Authority of the E.O.A. Paphos, as he said. He also pointed out that there has been communication between the Department and the competent Officers of the Paphos EOA and enforcement measures are underway.
In relation to the urban planning regime in this particular area, he said that changes are imminent in the context of the preparation of the Local Plan of Peyia in the direction of strengthening the protection regime in order to prevent phenomena such as those recently observed in this particular area.
In any case, Mr. Achniotis stressed the great importance of the cooperation of the competent Authorities with the Local Administration Authorities in the direction of preventing such phenomena whose environmental cost is enormous.
CNA
