A media and social media furor this week following a revelation that a four-star hotel is being built at the well-known Sarakiniko Beach on the Cyclades island of Milos caused the relevant environment and energy ministry to order a halt to construction.
The decision temporarily blocks continuing construction, as the case will undoubtedly now be adjudicated by the courts, given that the project ostensibly acquired all building licenses and permits necessary to erect the hotel at the unique site – one resembling a moonscape comprised of volcanic rock on the island’s north shore.
The question of how at least seven licenses were issued for such a structure at the specific, and whether they all actually fulfill legal provisions, was the focus of a MEGA Channel segment on Wednesday with the island’s mayor, Manolis Mikelis.
“In order for a permit to be issued it has to be accompanied by certain studies and approvals for it (the construction project) to land at the Milos building office. If it has all the approvals, then the building office signs off, which is responsible for checking the permits, whether they are correct or not,” Mikelis told MEGA.
He also maintained that the current regime for issuing building permits and licenses can now commence with the responsibility of a construction company’s civil engineer, while bemoaning what he called a staff shortage at the island’s building office.
“An urban planning office responsible for four islands is staffed by one intern and one urban planner… The permit is registered by a company’s responsible civil engineer,” he said, referring to one entity that falls under his municipality’s jurisdiction.
At the same time, the island’s mayor blamed the state-run Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), saying it was the latter agency that approved and issued a suitability and environmental impact ‘green light’ for the famed Sarakiniko Beach.
“All of the permits will be scrutinized. GNTO issued these … who signed these licenses for Sarakiniko? Who’s undermining our island without our approval?” he said, adding that construction works started 10 days ago at the site.
According to ot.gr, no less than seven permits have been issued by various state entities for the project, namely, an environmental impact study by the regional authority; by the architectural council based on the island of Syros, which has jurisdiction for the Cyclades islands; by the forestry directorate; by the Cyclades antiquities ephorate, by the Decentralized Administration for the Aegean, which delineated the for the boundary of the coastline back in 2018, a power substation, and lastly, by the building office on Milos.
