Cyprus presents Management Plan for Akamas Peninsula

Cyprus Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Photis Photiou has described the Management Plan for Akamas Peninsula as a balanced one, noting that as of today the implementation of decisions as regards this Plan gets underway.
Speaking during a joint press conference with Minister of Interior Neoklis Sylikiotis, Photiou said the plan to develop Akamas now has a concrete timeframe, a realistically estimated cost and it encompasses the two top concepts, environmental cooperation and development.
Photiou said the government will finance measures to help implement the plan, with many millions of pounds through the state budgets of 2007-2014.
Ten million will be allocated to incentives for the repair of houses and the construction of new ones with criteria determined by the Town Planning and Housing Department, three million to upgrade the road network and two million for the construction of a road that will connect the communities of Kathikas- Arodes – Inia, Drousa with Lara Bay.
The government, he continued, encourages through various incentives mild tourist development and explained that development of processing and trading of agricultural products, environmentally friendly agricultural methods, retaining the natural value of the agricultural environment are part of the plan and these will be financed through the Agricultural Development Programme 2007-2013.
Photiou said that the government will proceed with the exchange of privately owned plots, in the forest of Akamas, extending over large areas of land, with state owned land in other parts of the country.
He also said the government has a commitment to the EU to submit a proposal for the conclusion of Akamas in the European network “Natura 2000”.
Silikiotis said there has been no revision of the urban zones in the past 17 years, while this takes place every 5 years in other areas.
He said the new zones will be announced on Friday and there will be an eight month period for objections.
Sylikiotis also underlined that the Town Planning and Housing Department took into consideration the demands which the local communities had submitted before reaching certain proposals and that the suggestions of the communities are generally reflected in the relevant decisions of the Council of Ministers.