Akamas municipality on Tuesday defended the continuation of improvement works on the Baths of Aphrodite-Fontana Amorosa Road, rejecting calls for the project’s cancellation.
The municipality said the road has been linked to three fatal accidents and dozens of injuries, adding that its condition is obvious to anyone visiting the area.
It stressed that “the safety of citizens, visitors and rescue forces cannot be put on second place” and argued that failure to intervene would leave a known hazard in place.
It said the road serves not only tourism access but also essential functions for fire protection, emergency response and management of a sensitive ecological zone.
The municipality rejected proposals for closure, saying restricting access would not remove risk because authorised users, including emergency services and workers, would still be exposed to unsafe conditions without infrastructure improvements.
It added that environmental protection and safety are not opposing objectives, adding it supports “respect for nature and the environment” alongside institutional environmental procedures.
The municipality said that biodiversity protection, though “non-negotiable”, cannot leave known risks unaddressed as a viable policy approach.
It concluded that solutions must ensure both safety and ecological protection while rejecting what it described as “logics of inertia”.
The position came one day after Environment Commissioner Antonia Theodosiou called for the immediate cancellation of environmental approval for the same roadworks, stating in a letter to the agriculture ministry and presidential palace that the project should not proceed under current conditions due to legal and ecological concerns.
She said the works exceed limits set in earlier ecological assessments and warned that coastal protection requirements had not been adequately examined.
She also raised concerns that implementation may breach international environmental obligations, referring to “a risk of violating the provisions of the Barcelona Protocol”.
Environmental groups including Friends of Akamas have also called for withdrawal of the approval, arguing that the decision “effectively support increased vehicle access”, including safari jeep activity.
They warned this could intensify ecological pressure and contradict efforts to reduce traffic in the area.
Click here to change your cookie preferences