The Department of Environment has intervened after inspectors found completed unauthorised structures inside the Natura 2000 protected area of “Cha Potami” near the Gerovasa community of Trozena.
In an urgent letter dated May 14, 2026, addressed to the Limassol District Local Government Organisation (DLGO), the Department said an on-site inspection carried out on May 11 found construction work at an advanced stage, with some projects — including a restaurant/café and a reception area — already completed without the required permits. Inspectors also found extensive levelling and clearance of low-lying local vegetation across much of the site, which falls within the Natura 2000 zone.
Between 2023 and 2025, six separate applications had been submitted for projects including a private car park with fencing, a café, a house with office and gym, a winery with additions and alterations to existing buildings, a metal fence with dry-stone walls, and a nature trail.
In the letter, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment Elena Stylianopoulou set out conditions for the examination of the projects to proceed. The DLGO was asked to identify all interventions so they could be assessed collectively under a single Master Plan, and to examine work carried out without a permit and apply the relevant legislation in its capacity as the competent licensing authority.
A meeting of all parties involved, including the Department of Environment, has been scheduled to address the matter. The letter was also copied to the head of the Game and Fauna Service and the Limassol District Officer.
Read more:
