Row deepens over development of Sotira’s costal front

Debate over the development of Sotira’s coastal front, near Ayia Napa, led to a heated back and forth at the House commerce committee.

The committee meeting saw MPs and stakeholders spar over the conditions of the ongoing works, with others raising questions as to who has authority over the matter of the coastal area.

Last month, the director of the environment department Costas Hadjipanayiotou said that the coastal front of Sotira is in dire need of a special ecological assessment, as it falls under the Natura2000 protection network.

He explained at Tuesday’s committee meeting that there was no obligation for his department to inform stakeholders of some proposed environmental works as the ecological assessment was also suggested by the Game Fund.

Hadjipanayiotou was responding to the accusations raised by the Sotira community leader George Takkas, who said the environment department was slamming the brakes on the development of the area.

Indeed, head of the House commerce committee and Disy MP Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis, spoke of injustice against the Sotira municipality.

He called for “a rectification of the rules harming the development of the local community and businesses”.

“The requirements for the development of the area has resulted in its stagnation and investment interest has dwindled,” he said.

During the discussion, tension arose between Hadjiyiannis and leader of the Green Party Charalambos Theopemptou, who pointed out that, as the area falls under the Natura2000 protection network, the final say on its proposed development lies with the environment department.

“I hope that the municipality of Sotira finds a way out of the impasse through a series of small-scale developments instead,” Theopemptou said.

“We need to avoid repeating the environmental crimes committed in Limassol,” he emphasised.

The Green Party leader also denounced the presence of Sotira municipality legal advisor Theodoros Hadjigeorgiou, who attended the committee meeting without disclosing his second role as the legal counsel of development company Jimchang Cyprus Developing Ltd, the company responsible for the construction of the “Sun City Spa Resort & Residences” mega-project in Sotira, which has yet to obtain a building permit due to the illegal addition of an extra floor.

Speaking after Theopemptou and Hadjiyiannis, Takkas said all local development projects were included in a local plan published in November 2020 “after seven years of efforts”.

“The plan explains that the municipality exercised the right to reserve five lots within a three-kilometer radius with the aim of constructing hotels, provided that special incentives are given to attract investors and benefit from tourism development,” he said.

“According to an environmental study issued six months after the local plan, any development in the coastal area of Sotira and Liopetri must comply with the provisions of the local plan’s zoning regulations.

“As of now, the environmental department does not consider any applications for constructions exceeding three floors, which is putting a brake on the development of the area,” Takkas concluded.