The application for a construction permit for the authorization of the “Friends of the 76th Scout Troop of Strovolos” association to create a camping site with tents and other auxiliary buildings in the state forest of Machairas and on land formerly occupied by a National Guard camp has not been submitted to the Nicosia District Administration.
The association was granted state forest land following a decision by the Council of Ministers on June 15, 2022, and the submission of a proposal by the Ministry of Interior for the approval of applications for the concession, assignment, exchange, or leasing of state/forest land, including the provision of access through state/forest land.
The proposal to the Council of Ministers was submitted with the relevant recommendations and suggestions of the four-member Ministerial Committee (Ministers of Interior, Transport, Communications and Works, Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, and Energy, Trade, and Industry).
The application for the lease of forest land to the association was examined during the committee’s meeting on May 16, 2022.
The minutes of the Ministerial Committee have only been forwarded to the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. As mentioned, the content of the proposal involves sensitive personal data protected by the Data Protection of Individuals Law from 2002 to 2012.
The minutes of the Ministerial Committee, which are now disclosed by Phileleftheros, refer to a decision to lease state forest land to the “Friends of the 76th Scout Troop of Strovolos” association (a legal entity of private law) for public purposes, specifically for the creation of a camping site in the area of the National Forest Park Machairas, in the “Mandra tou Kambiou” area, in the community of Lazania.
The land, approximately 23,000 square meters in size, was formerly occupied by a National Guard camp and is intended for camping purposes, with a right of access to an area of approximately 2,250 square meters (450m x 5m) based on Regulation 5 of the Forest Regulations (Disposition of State Forest Land), under the usual terms for leasing state forest land for a similar purpose.
The lease duration is for 15 years, with the right to renew for a second and third period at the lessor’s discretion. The annual rent was set at €500 per year.
As specified, the annual rent would be revised every five years and adjusted according to the overall percentage change in inflation over the preceding five-year period, as determined by the Department of Statistics and Research of the Ministry of Finance, and paid to the owner whenever necessary.
It is noted that the lessee does not have the right to sublease the leased forest land. In case of an emergency, the space and facilities can be used by the National Guard.
Before the signatures for the lease agreement were obtained, between the Director of the Department of Forests and representatives of the association, urban planning permission was granted on June 8, 2021.
The notification of the issuance of the urban planning permit refers to the construction of a camping site and a complete environmental study.
An environmental study that was never conducted.
The applicant submitted an information report on May 20, 2020, and on March 5, 2021, an environmental approval was issued through reasoned determination, without the project undergoing a proper assessment, known as “Special Ecological Assessment” (SEA).
The only thing pending for the project’s approval is the issuance of a construction permit by the Nicosia District Administration. An application that has not yet been submitted by the association, which, after the controversy surrounding the issue and the decision of the Auditor General to examine the case, has started contacts with various entities.
According to information, the Audit Service sent a letter to the Department of Forests yesterday, seeking information on the matter.
The facilities of the camping site, including catering and hygiene facilities, are located within the administrative boundaries of the community of Lazania in the Nicosia province.
The project’s location falls within the National Forest Park (NFP) of Machaira, as well as the protected areas of the Natura 2000 Network, Special Conservation Zone (SCZ) Forest of Machaira, and Special Protection Area (SPA) Zone of Tzionia.
Environmental organizations argue that an SEA study should have been prepared and an SEA report issued. However, not only was an SEA report not issued, but also no pre-check report was issued, while the reasoned determination cannot be considered as adequate environmental approval at the level of a proper assessment (SEA).
According to sources from Phileleftheros, the Game and Fauna Service, in a letter, requested a proper assessment and the submission of an SEA study. However, a month later, in a new letter, it stated that it had no objection to the licensing of the proposed project.
The project occupies an area of approximately 23,000 square meters and includes building facilities with a covered area of 593 square meters, including catering and hygiene facilities, in an abandoned military camp. The maximum number of campers is 100 people.
Environmental organizations are urging a proper assessment within the framework of environmental approval, stating that the potentially significant and negative impacts of the building facilities, power supply infrastructure, generated noise, etc., on the conservation goals of the two protected areas were not adequately evaluated.
Additionally, there was no assessment of the cumulative impacts experienced in the protected areas, and the project was not even examined by the competent ad-hoc committee for SEA.
Furthermore, the environmental approval (reasoned determination) issued does not reference all types of classification and the elements included in the conservation goals of the SPA Zone of Tzionia.
The environmental organizations also pose a major question to the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment regarding the policies concerning the declaration of strictly protected areas in Cyprus (such as the Forest of Machairas and the mountain peak of Tzionia).
They inquire about the alignment with the current EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2020-2030 and the restoration or improvement of the conservation status of degraded sites within Natura 2000 protected areas (such as an abandoned military camp) based on the existing Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), as well as the new EU Regulation on Nature Restoration.
