Akrotiri residents and Kourion Municipality are stepping up their campaign against British Bases plans to install new antennas in the area, after a village-wide meeting voted unanimously in recent weeks to escalate with protest marches and legal action. The first mobilisation is set for Saturday at 9.30am, starting from the first entrance to the Akrotiri Municipal District.
Speaking to Phileleftheros, Kourion Mayor Pantelis Georgiou said the municipality considers the planned expansion of the British Bases’ facilities to be at odds with the rational development of the wider municipal area. “The erection of new antennas is essentially militarising the Akrotiri area further,” he said. He called on the government to back the municipality’s request to cancel the decision to install what he described as spying antennas, and urged people to turn out in force for Saturday’s protest.
SBAA statement on Saturday’s protest
Responding to the planned protest, an SBAA spokesperson said the Administration respects the right to peaceful, lawful protest. The spokesperson said the project is subject to a statutory environmental process and public consultation, and that the Administration is awaiting the necessary applications from the project sponsor before those procedures begin. The Administration has told the Government of the Republic it would be willing to co-sponsor a further independent study, the spokesperson added, and said it remains committed to delivering the project responsibly and in close cooperation with local partners and communities.
Background
According to information gathered by Phileleftheros, the municipality has received assurances that no work will begin until all required studies into public health and environmental impact have been completed and approved. The same sources said local authorities’ concerns have already been passed on to the Foreign Ministry, and that the British Bases have reportedly given a similar assurance that construction will not proceed before the relevant assessment procedures are complete.
According to information that has come to light, and briefings given to the affected communities, the plan involves expanding the antenna installation by around 450,000 square metres. The first phase includes the installation of 68 new antennas, with another 68 planned for the second phase, and a third phase of development also foreseen.
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