Concerns that resort will hurt Astypalaia’s character
The approval for the creation of a large-scale tourist village with villas and hotels on Astypalaia, which will exceed the island’s two largest settlements, by the Central Urban Planning Council has drawn the opposition of the local council, which has been ignored.
The investment’s massive scope and its effect on an island that is generally “preserved” are not the only issues.
It will also violate a presidential decree protecting the island because the special planning framework surrounding it will allow three times as much construction as currently permitted.
The investment proposal, which was revealed by Kathimerini in March, concerns an area of 197.7 hectares in Vigla, near the port of Agios Andreas, the second port of the island.
The investment is being promoted through a Special Urban Plan, an umbrella framework that modifies the building conditions and land use in an area.
