Conference on the Caiaphas ecosystem: Sustainable development and the braking of the 2018 PD

In order to address the extremely unfavorable institutional obstacles that hinder the development prospects of the Municipality of Zacharo, a Conference was organized in collaboration with the Administrative Court of First Instance of Pyrgos and with the support of the Association of Criminologists and Fighting Lawyers.

Through their presentations and the fruitful dialogue that developed during the two-day proceedings of the Conference, held at the “Olympia” Hotel on Lake Caiaphas, senior court officials, experts and lawyers highlighted and analyzed the problems caused by the controversial Presidential Decree for 2018. the Protection of the Gulf of Kyparissia and in particular those caused by the Special Environmental Study that was the condition for the drafting of the P.D. The NRP, as pointed out by the Mayor of Zacharos Costas Alexandropoulos as well as by senior judicial and expert scientists-rapporteurs has inaccuracies in the documentation of “habitats” and “species” is contrary to European Directive 92/43 and It is NOT a public document, since it is not duly signed.

Summarizing the main conclusions of the Conference, the Mayor of Zacharos, Costas Alexandropoulos, points out:

“We have had the opportunity to hear the views of reputable lawyers, judges and other scientists on environmental issues and we are optimistic about its protection. At the same time, we brought to the attention of the Conference the huge problems that the Presidential Decree for the protection of the Gulf of Kyparissia has caused to the society and the local economy. Very interesting views were expressed and analyzes were made on the environmental legislation, both national and the legislation of the European Union, while many rapporteurs pointed out the problematic points in the decision of the CoE issued after the requests for annulment of the PD “.

In fact, a senior judicial official, when asked during the Conference if he would accept an unsigned Special Environmental Study, replied: “Obviously I would not accept such an unsigned plan.”

And yet, points out Mr. Alexandropoulos, the Ministry of Environment relied on this very Study for the issuance of the PD.

Inability to implement the P.D.

Mr. Alexandropoulos explains: “Given that the NRP has an executive character, it is impossible for the public services and the co-competent bodies to implement the measures of the PD, such as the Technical Services of the Municipality, the Forest Service, the Port Authority and the services of the Region for the road network to accept the unsigned documents and the maps of the Study “. Therefore, adds the mayor Zacharos, “the issue of inability to implement most of the regulations contained in the PD is raised, an issue which will be raised as soon as possible to the competent authorities. At the same time, the municipality of Zacharos has asked the participants of the new Special Environmental Study prepared by the Ministry of Environment to avoid the mistakes of the previous NRP, mistakes that resulted in the creation of a fictitious and non-existent landscape having loaded the area with non-existent items for protection. “

Alexandropoulos: We do not accept the absurdities that have tragic consequences for our society

Concluding, Mr. Alexandropoulos emphasizes that “the minimum we require is, if the researchers who will prepare after the field research the new Special Environmental Study identify habitats, they must have the exact characteristics described in the respective European Directive and be precisely delimited by coordinates, so that it is possible to control both their existence and their protection. We are not prepared to suffer the absurdities and inaccuracies that led to the issuance of the PD. of 2018, which has unjust and tragic consequences for our society “.

8 + 1 problems it causes in D.or Zacharos the P.D. of 2018

The PD, from the very first months of its validity, has caused very serious effects on the economy and the social development of our place, having imposed a gloomy, anti-development environment, along the entire length of 45 km of the coastline of the northern Gulf of Kyparissia and at a depth of up to 3 km from the coastline, excluding, over 45,000 acres of coastal area from any substantial development.
Particularly:
1. It annihilates the residential and tourist development, by defining the perfection of the plots at 20 acres, a fact that has a direct adverse effect on the development of the coastal front of southern Ilia and the utilization of the enormous development power of the famous brand names of ANCIENT OLYMPIA and the AUXILIARY APOLLO. In addition, it eliminates any possibility of utilizing KADAFA, which has all the conditions to develop into a capital of spa tourism (silver tourism).
2. In the area of ​​5,500 acres of Caiaphas, only the legally existing buildings are allowed to be preserved (which have existed since the 1930s!), While additions that would make Loutropolis a modern center of spa tourism are prohibited.
3. It becomes impossible to access the entire 45 km beach, as vehicles are not allowed to pass through the “habitats”.
4. Rural roads and infrastructure projects, which are not in line with the “protection objectives”, are abolished.
5. Crops that are controlled to “comply with conservation objectives” become more difficult. In other words, the establishment of new, profitable crops or new modern cultivation methods is prohibited.
6. The activity of the bathers is drastically limited in a few parts of the beach of South Ilia, because “the need to develop activities for the bathers and the recreation of the public in the whole zone of the beach is not documented”.
7. Restrictions on the development of the coastal front devalue public real estate, at least 15,000 acres of valuable land for the development of the economy of our country and the entire Western Peloponnese, with negative effects on the national economy.
8. The settlements of Agios Nikolaos Zacharos and Epitalio Beach are abolished, in the context of “the protection and restoration of the eaten environment”, despite the fact that they have been characterized since 1993 as areas of holiday homes with the PD. of the Residential Control Zone (Z.O.E.) of the prefecture of Ilia “.
9. All the unbounded lowland settlements of the Municipality of Zacharos are abolished