Paros threatened by unprecedented building spree

For the fifth year in a row, the island of Paros is first in the Cyclades in the number of new building permits, according to data from Greece’s statistics agency published a week ago.

However, it has surpassed the more popular Mykonos and Santorini in the square footage these new licenses correspond to. The main reason for the increase in construction is the type of buildings being built: It is mostly villas, erected for short-term rental or sale, or hotels.

“Until 2000, we lived a good life,” says Nikos Tsounakis, owner of a taverna in Kolymbithres. “Now the island is on the way to become like Mykonos and Santorini. Life has become very expensive. The most important thing is money, us locals have lost control. We have lost our quality of life, we have unprecedented problems – traffic, garbage, water shortages, even crime that we had’t experienced before.”