Larnaca residents oppose government plans to allow energy companies to set up operations at the town’s port.

After the meeting, Minister Marios Demetriades said he expected to meet again with the town’s local authorities to discuss the studies they considered carrying out and “together, find solutions to the matters that concern them.”

“Health and environment issues are always our first concern and we take them into serious consideration before granting any permits,” he said.

The government has given permission to natural gas companies to move support operations to Larnaca temporarily but residents view this as something that could affect plans to develop the area into a marina and leisure centre. Residents are worried that no impact study has been done on how this project would affect the environment, jobs or anything else.

The government assured residents that it was a temporary project until work started on the marinaproject.

Mayor Andreas Louroudjiatis said public health was their main concern, as well as “the natural environment and maintaining quality of life.” He said the municipality will carry out its own environmental impact study.

A preliminary deal has also been made for a more detailed study that will look into the port’s role in the frame of a rationalised development that will have a previous scheme as a basis but will also take other prospects into consideration.

Source: Cyprus Mail