Emergency alert: Save our island's identity from irreversible overbuilding

20.06.2024, 12:46

Just changed "academic environmental bodies" to "academic and environmental bodies"


New petition description:

Protect the identity of our island from anarchic overbuilding.

Overdevelopment is widely recognised by all academic and environmental bodies as the main threat to natural resources and the preservation of the Cycladic landscape. The main peak of overbuilding is uncontrolled off-plan construction, which, in overwhelming proportions, involves luxurious and environmentally unsustainable holiday homes.

The damage to the countryside is already enormous. Very soon, we will be at the point of no return. Now, more than ever, we must act to halt overbuilding until the new Local Spatial Plan is in place.

This resolution proposes the mildest possible formula so that Paros has a chance to exist as a place tomorrow. We call for the temporary suspension of the issuing of new building permits through the application of the jurisdiction of the Council of State, which sets specific and strict conditions for off-plan building. At the same time, we call for the exemption of building permits for first homes.It is urgent and crucial to understand that extending 'business as usual' is no longer an option. If the current rate of building is maintained, in a matter of years, the situation will be so irreparably distressed that the implementation of the new Local Plan will no longer be of any value: there will be nothing left to save.

This is a call to action that we cannot ignore.

Specifically, we ask:Α. That the Municipal Council decides that the Town Planning Department of Paros, will apply the judgement of the Council of State, which from 2023 recalls that "Off-plan building in Greece has been prohibited since 1985, with the sole exception of parcels of land that have 25 meters of frontage on a legally existing road". This decision stresses that rural or forest roads cannot be understood as legally recognized roads and that the (pre-1923) old paths - are protected by the existing General Urban Plan.

Β. To request the Ministry to suspend the issuance of new permits in off-plan areas until the new Local Urban Plan of Paros is established. With the exception of building permits for primary residences and public utility buildings.

C. Demand the inactivation of the law on underground buildings on Paros. They are not in keeping with the island's architectural tradition and cause enormous destruction. Also, close any window for the construction of swimming pools on the island (currently built as "water features") and provide incentives for the construction of water tanks for rainwater storage.

D. Staff the necessary City departments to conduct systematic inspections of construction activity on the island, not only before, but also after building and electrical permits are issued.

E. Not to allow any Private Urban Plan (of the type of ESHASE- Special Spatial Development Plans for Strategic Investments), "complex tourist accommodation" or other).

We also ask all the bodies responsible for the Cyclades, the local authorities and civil society to support this decision. What is happening in Paros has and will have consequences for the rest of the Cycladic islands. If Paros resists the alteration of its physiognomy and its unique Cycladic identity, it will set an excellent example for the rest of the islands. If not, the uncontrolled and destructive dynamics will rapidly spread to the rest of the Cycladic islands, large and small.