As instructed by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Costas Kadi, the Department of Town Planning and Housing will not be providing the company Korantina Homes Ltd with a planning permission. The decision was taken by Mr. Kadis following a letter by Auditor General, Odysseas Michaelides, which essentially calls for the Minister of Agriculture to withdraw the environmental approval given on 9/3/2018 based on
a positive Environmental Impact Assessment Report. The environmental approval includes 44 villas with swimming pools, two biological sewage treatment plants and a five-star, eight-floor and 168-bed hotel at Kafizis and Manikis locations, where the project Cap S. George Beach Club Resort is situated.
The Audit Office in its letter to the Ministry of Agriculture mentions that the relevant environmental report was issued in violation of article 13 (design examination procedure), paragraph 3 of the Environmental Impact Assessment from Certain Projects Law of 2005 until 2014.
More specifically, the report was issued March 9, 2018, while the minutes of the last meeting of the Environmental Impact Assessment Board held at 13/2/2018 have not yet been sent. Therefore, it appears that the report was issued without a reasoned proposal drafted by the Environmental Impact Assessment Board and submitted to the Environmental Authority, mentioning the views of its members regarding the assessment and the consequences that the implementation or operation of the project may cause to the environment.
At the same time, another issue arises relating to two environmental approvals issued on March 3 and May 29, 2017 concerning the construction of six and eight villas respectively in the Sea Caves area.
