Polis Chrysochous should become a model for environmental awareness and sustainable development, Environment Commissioner Elias Myrianthous said on Monday after meeting Polis mayor Yiotis Papachristofi.

Myrianthous said the aim was to develop the region while protecting its natural environment and creating conditions for young people to remain and build their lives there.

“How can this beautiful region grow within the framework of sustainable development, following the model of other European regions with similar characteristics?” he asked.

He said his goal was for Polis Chrysochous and the surrounding area to become “an ornament not only of Cyprus but of the whole of Europe”.

The meeting covered environmental issues facing the municipality, as well as its plans for development.

Myrianthous said his office would collaborate with the municipality and state departments on matters within its responsibilities.

He also referred to the interest shown by President Nikos Christodoulides in Polis Chrysochous, Akamas and the Tillyria area, saying this was why he had chosen the region among the first stops in his visits around Cyprus.

Papachristofi said the municipality was committed to protecting the area’s natural environment, describing its landscape and environmental wealth as a vital asset.

He cautioned however that environmental protection should not prevent the development needed by people living and working in the region.

“People must coexist and development projects must be carried out, but always with sensitivity to the environment,” he said.

The mayor said the meeting also covered major projects planned for the area, particularly the port at Latchi and the Paphos – Polis highway.

He called for the relevant procedures to move forward quickly to prevent further delays, saying the projects were important to the region’s development.

“I think that the new commissioner will take initiatives with all the relevant departments of the state,” Papachristofi added.

The meeting comes amid wider debate over the pace and scale of construction in the Latchi and Polis Chrysochous area, particularly as major hotel and infrastructure projects are planned or under way.

The Leonardo Club Latchi hotel, part of a reported €55 million investment by the Israeli Fattal Hotel Group, has drawn further scrutiny after building permits were issued despite earlier findings of unauthorised construction and deviations from the approved planning framework.

Planning and environmental concerns have also been raised over the wider development of Latchi, where increased hotel capacity is expected to place additional pressure on local infrastructure.

Furthermore, the municipality’s campsite is undergoing redevelopment after the tender was awarded to Costas Myrianthous, a cousin of the newly appointed commissioner, with a projected budget of around €2.5 million.

The campsite project has attracted attention over the future of its natural character, including its eucalyptus trees, while its redevelopment is expected to introduce upgraded facilities.

Papachristofi said environmental protection and development needed to be considered together, adding that the municipality wanted to preserve both the environment and the people who live in the area.

“We must do the same to preserve the environment but also the people who must make a life in the area,” he said.