Planning inspections get under way on Mykonos

Urban planning, environmental and financial inspectors have arrived on Mykonos over the last few days to scrutinize large businesses, including entertainment venues, restaurants, beach bars and hotels in view of the start of the tourist season.

The inspectors will also audit well-known businesses on the island that were in the spotlight last year, looking for any urban, environmental and financial violations.

Quarries will also be targeted, according to Kathimerini sources.

Last summer, a mixed team carried out an extensive inspections in three quarries, in the former barite mine (it has been closed since the mid-80s) and in quarries in the Agrilia and Skylambela areas. In all three places, illegal quarrying by the company Oikodomiki Mykonou SA had been ascertained. An inspection had also been conducted at another location that had been converted by the same company into a dump for waste from construction works. 

The inspection teams were created in March 2023 after the brutal attack on an archaeologist of the Cyclades Ephorate. The first echelons visited the island in April and recorded illegal activities in 13 famous beach bars and restaurants. This was followed by the completion of the audit reports – the first two concerned Principote in Panormos and part of Nammos on Psarou beach and determined significant urban planning illegalities. The two companies appealed to the Central Urban Planning Council and the courts, requesting a suspension of the execution of the fine and demolition decision, but all objections were rejected.

Subsequently, on May 9, the Environment Ministry asked the Municipality of Mykonos to suspend the operation of the two businesses, which was implemented thanks to the presence of the Aegean Appeals Prosecutor Odysseus Tsorbatzoglou.

Other audits of well-known businesses on the island followed, such as Lohan and Solymar in Kalo Livadi, Pasaji in Ornos, Alemagou in Ftelia and others. All rushed to comply immediately, without submitting objections, and demolished the illegalities on their own within a few days to avoid being shut down, while Nammos followed suit.

Principote’s case was more complex. The Environment Ministry had initially decided to allow the business to reopen on two of the plots it owned in Panormos, without demolishing the rest on the neighboring plots (which belonged to other companies, but all cooperating under its trade name). However, after the general outcry, the ministry finally did not allow the reopening of the business, which was eventually fined 13 million euros.