Mykonos enters a stricter urban planning regime.
According to the proposed Special Town Planning Plan, Mykonos will have new limits in the construction of real estate, specifically in residences and tourist accommodations.
Mykonos and the strong reactions to the Special Town Planning Plan
In particular, in a climate of tension and in the midst of intense disputes, the study for the Special Urban Plan (EPS) of the island was presented yesterday at the Grypario Cultural Center of the Municipality of Mykonos, which places significant restrictions on the construction of residences and tourist accommodations. At the same time, it assumes that no permission for the conversion of a residence into a short-term rental will be given after the ratification of the Presidential Decree which will institute the EPM towards the end of 2025.
According to the presentation made by the researchers and the General Secretary of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEP), Mr. Efthimiou Bakoyannis, in the presence of the mayor of the island, local actors and a large number of interested citizens, the prevailing scenario of the study for the new PES proposes an increase in the efficiency of the plots for the construction of housing and tourist infrastructure by 50%, while reducing the building factor and setting other restrictions on the expansion of cement. In particular, today on the island, 10 acres are required to obtain the right to build a tourist accommodation and 4 acres for a residence, which are proposed to be increased to 30 and 8 acres respectively.
The definition of a single tourism-leisure-holiday home zone in the southern areas of Mykonos is a central idea of the researchers’ proposal
Tourism and leisure zone in the south of Mykonos
As for the tourism and recreation zone, i.e. in the south of Mykonos, the building factor from 0.15 that applies today for tourist accommodation will be reduced to 0.12 in the municipal community of Mykonos, but will remain the same, i.e. 0.15 in Ano Day.
The definition of a single tourism-recreation-holiday home zone in the southern areas of Mykonos is a central idea of the researchers’ proposal, while the entire rest of the island is initially considered as an area of protection and mild or alternative tourism. However, it is proposed that the development of tourist accommodation within the tourist zones will be possible after the completion of the necessary infrastructure works with a time horizon of 5 years. The specific projects concern water supply (desalination-networks), drainage and waste management, road construction and parking and electricity distribution network projects.
Flexible PES subject to conditions
More specifically, as pointed out by Mr. Bakoyannis, the planning will have the possibility of flexibility based on a legislative authorization that will be given in the next period for flexibility in land uses and the form of building. “After the 5-year period, the idea is to give the possibility, with the implementation of the planned infrastructure projects, to reduce the area by 50%, but not below 4 acres (in other words, to return to what is currently defined by the Residential Development Zone of the island). The implementation of projects increases the limits of the carrying capacity”, underlined the general secretary of the Ministry of Interior.
It is noteworthy that, last Friday, the Minister of Environment and Energy Mr. Thodoros Skylakakis during his speech at the Annual Regular Conference of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) in Rhodes had announced that in addition to the land uses that will define the urban plans in an area, he will recommend to the Council of Ministers “to include land uses, under conditions of carrying out the necessary projects that make them possible, based on the jurisprudence of the Council of State (Council of State)”, because as he explained “in the absence of basic infrastructure projects (e.g. water supply, sewage, energy, desalination, road construction, etc.) the carrying capacity is limiting”.
According to the minister, this specific initiative will be able to solve many problems, when both the government and the municipalities will be invited to make decisions on the selection of areas in relation to land uses.
Zones of protection and gentle development
In any case, based on the prevailing scenario of the proposed PES for Mykonos, landscape protection zones are defined from the elevation of 100 meters and above, including the heights and rocky outcrops projecting in various parts of Mykonos, and extending to the steep and inaccessible coasts that are not suitable for tourist or residential uses.
The agricultural zone is defined in the only lowland area of Mykonos where there are possibilities of irrigation,
The zones of mild tourism, leisure and holiday residence activities (the west coast of Mykonos, the Diakoftis Peninsula and the Marathi reservoir area) are intermediate zones, between the zones of more intense tourism and the zones of strict landscape protection. There the building factor for tourist accommodation is reduced from 0.15 today to 0.10 while the beds are limited from 150 today to 50 per plot in the off-plan areas.
The agricultural zone is defined in the only lowland area of Mykonos where there are possibilities of irrigation, while the pressures for other, competing uses are very limited. The zone of extra-urban uses of Mykonos will be able to accommodate modern uses that are necessary for the island, but due to their size and intensity they cannot be located within the Chora, a large part of which is protected as traditional.
Concentrated production activities
As regards the zones of productive activities, a central area is proposed which has strong spatial advantages and an area in the north-eastern end of the island which is considered suitable for the location of environmental infrastructure, taking into account the planned projects of the Municipality (Bi-waste treatment unit, Green Spot, water park in the Kalafati area).
With reference to the issue of housing for employees, the proposed PES defines social housing investigation areas with a total of two acres.
Chora – Ano Mera dipole
With the new urban plan, it is proposed that the two settlements of Chora Mykonos and Ano Mera function as a residential dipole, where in Chora the emphasis is placed on integrated policies for the regeneration of the coastal front and in Ano Mera the strengthening of its role and its prominence in center of alternative tourism.
The proposed land uses of the settlements are updated (according to PD 59/2018) and the urban planning aims to protect their character. For all the settlements, it is proposed to re-approve their limit and zoning in accordance with the provisions of the PD plan, which the Ministry of the Interior brought to the attention of the researchers.
Expansion of settlements
Based on the needs that have emerged from the capacity assessment for the year 2040 in combination with the proposed policies of the PES, limited area extensions were proposed in Chora Mykonos, in Ag. Stefanos, in Tourlos and Ano Mera. In fact, the proposed expansions of Chora cover only a part of its deficit, as the rest is covered by Ano Mera, in application of the EPS policy to strengthen its role and promote the residential dipole.
At the same time, the PES proposes a study of urban planning and transport upgrading of the area that starts from Agios Stefanos and ends at Ornos, with a focus on Mykonos Town, and a study of revising the morphological rules of the island which were determined, among other things, by the PD of 1976 (D’ 336 ), to adapt to the modern needs and challenges of the landscape, ensuring the promotion of sustainable practices.
Finally, during the processing of the proposals of the PES, recent decisions of the CoE on building on islands were taken into account, so that its proposals are compatible with jurisprudence and can be approved within a reasonable time horizon. The new proposal generally seeks a balance between the need to protect the natural environment and the need for tourism development in harmony with the directions of the above planning.
From today Tuesday and for 5 (calendar) days, those interested will be able to submit comments and suggestions for the proposed urban plan of Mykonos on the participation platform (The consultation process will take place later on the Strategic Environmental Impact Study (SES) of the PES Mykonos.
Source: ot.gr
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