Akamas landowners call on ministers to settle amount of compensation

Akamas landowners called on the ministers of agriculture, interior and finance on Tuesday to determine levels of compensation over the introduction of the Akamas local plan.

The matter had been left unresolved on a sour note by the outgoing administration after then agriculture minister Costas Kadis and finance minister Constantinos Petrides exchanged potshots over procedures.

Speaking on behalf of the landowners association, Savvas Hadjiminas told the CyBC that there was a six to seven month time limit for making decisions as of February, since concrete actions need to be in place by September 1, when the local Akamas plan officially comes into force.

Hadjiminas said one of the main sticking points was that some owners had seen a massive reduction in building co-efficient down to 0.05 per cent from 57.7 per cent, others from 10 per cent, and yet others have found themselves in a position where their land is de facto “enclaved” within the national forest since 1989.

The state must hammer out a formula for fair compensation and/or expropriation and decide if the land it to become state-owned, Hadjiminas said.

He also called on local communities to accept the plan as a done deal.

“We need to move to the next day’s chapter, community councils need to understand that. We have a big project to run with the national state park expected to host one million people. But we can’t accept inadequate compensation,” Hadjiminas said, adding that the constitution provides for this.

The landowners can but put forth suggestions which they hope will be fairly considered, Hadjiminas concluded.