Agriculture minister calls for patience over Akamas plan

Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis on Sunday called for the communities of the Akamas to be “patient” when it came to the local plan for the area.

Asked to comment on the sometimes angry reactions by the communities, he said that it would be appropriate before they take a position to wait for the overall government decisions.

There is, he said, “an opinion of the Department of Environment which I consider to be comprehensive and takes into account all the elements that have been put before it”.

As he explained, in addition to the position of the Department of Environment, which is fully supported, the government is expected to announce the local plan and compensatory measures for each community. Therefore, he concluded, it is premature to now take a negative or positive view of the plan.

The community of Ineia has been most vocal in its disagreement with plans for the development of the Akamas.

According to the community council, the plan fails to allow for any development by the community in the area.

“Any provisions for development are effectively removed, development zones are drastically reduced and vast tracts of land, in some communities less and in others more, are unjustifiably and without scientific criteria included in conservation areas and remain there without any right to develop, which makes them essentially non-assets,” the community said.

The council said that the Environment Department’s adoption of all the requirements and recommendations of environmental organisations without taking into account the recommendations of the local authorities and without actually taking into account the human factor led to their refusal to accept the plan in place.

Last month a protest was held by residents of Ineia against the contentious local plan where protesters on the beach held placards saying: ‘Coexistence of man and the environment’ and ‘Akamas 30 years refugees in our own country’.