Amathounda protest over feared land development

Residents in Amathounda, Limassol are staging a demonstration on Thursday to protest what they say is the state’s unfair treatment regarding the development of land near ancient sites.

The problem, according to the leader of the residents’ coordinating committee Takis Ikonomou is that a Russian firm is seeking to build in the Amathounda area which contains ancient artefacts.

Ikonomou has slammed the antiquities department for giving the company the green light and proceed with the works despite it being a spot containing artefacts of Cyprus’ history.

But director of the antiquities department, Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou, completely rebuffed the allegations saying it was not true.

Although confirming they had received an application in February, she told the Cyprus Mail the department was still evaluating it.

More importantly, it was still in the process of evaluating whether the plots of land the firm wanted to build on contained any antiquities.

“The company, after liaising with us, is undertaking a geophysical study in the area in cooperation with TEPAK (the Cyprus University of Technology). It has also employed staff to do so,” Ieronymidou said.

“Everything will depend on the excavations.”

Ikonomou added that residents who had land in Amathounda were treated very differently from those with business interests.

“When the antiquities department wants to expropriate land we own, we are paid humiliating prices. As if they’re farmlands and not pieces of land opposite the beach ready for development,” he said.

For instance, he claims, one donum (1338 square metres) has a market value of €500,000 whereas when the state buys the land from them if it contains antiquities, they get between €20,000 – €30,000.

“We are not allowed to develop our properties but businesses are. We want equal treatment,” he said.