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05/03/07 -
New Cyprus Golf Course Planned |
THE GOVERNMENT has opened the door for the creation of
the first golf course in the Famagusta area following a Cabinet decision on Wednesday.
The government will lease land to a consortium calling itself Ayia Napa Forest Golf Ltd at an annual cost of
£60,000. This figure will be revised every five years.
The term of the lease is for a period of 33 years, but the consortium will have the option to twice extend it for an
additional 25 years each time.
They are believed to want to start construction within the next few years after securing the relevant planning
permits.
According to Phileleftheros newspaper, shareholders in the project will include hoteliers in the area, as well as
Ayia Napa Municipality.
The land, in the area of Cape Greco, amounts to 429 donums.
The Green party, however, is up in arms over the government’s decision, saying the land allocated is part of Natura
2000, an ecological network in the territory of the European Union.
“There is a reason why the land is part of Natura 2000 and that is to protect the biodiversity within it, in order
to keep our environmental heritage for generations to come,” assistant press officer Efi Xanthou told the Mail.
“Nobody should build anything within the area but it is in effect government property.
The decision to lease out such a huge amount of land is appalling and we will not lie down and accept it and will be
lobbying the European Commission to stop it.”
The Ministry of Agriculture, however, has judged that the area in question does not require protection and has been
in touch with the European authorities.
According to Xanthi, part of the agreement stipulates that the building of hotels and apartments on the land is
forbidden, “but the consortium is not stipulating any sort of environmental protection.”
She added that the grass would destroy the natural habitat, “as it takes over and stops anything else from growing.
Chemicals used on the grass will also pose a hazard to wildlife and the underground water supply. Additionally, a
huge amount of water will be needed and there is no plan in place on how to get it. I suspect they’ll ask for a
desalination permit but this will only emit a huge amount of carbon dioxide.”
The government has decided that no more than 14 golf courses should exist on the island. There are currently three,
all in the Paphos area.
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