Heightened hostility by business and property owners on the jet-setting island of Mykonos is the first reaction to a special town planning (zoning) framework publicly unveiled this week by a relevant environment ministry general secretary on the Cyclades Isle.
The most prominent provision of the draft zoning plan foresees tighter restrictions on building co-efficients for new residences and hospitality units (hotels, resorts, villas etc.).
Even more “draconian”, by modern Greek standards, is a proposed ban on transforming a residence into a short-term lease property, such as those listed on the now ubiquitous Airbnb-style platforms, after the draft plan is ratified as a presidential decree, ostensibly by the end of 2025.
A presentation of the proposed zoning plan at the island’s municipal events hall on Monday evening was greeted with intense opposition by most of the local residents and businesspeople attending, with most of the island’s stakeholders also present.
