+++ News +++
+++ 15th July 2015
A respite for Triopetra
The investor for the hotel project at Akoúmia beach, Dolphin Capital, has begun construction of a new large-scale project at Agios Nikolaos. According to information provided by the local administration, this means that the Akoúmia project will at the earliest be started in 2 years. On the website of Dolphin Capital, a Greek investment company based in the British Virgin Islands, the "Triopetra" project will continue to operate, but no more details are given about the nature of the planned project or the status of planning.
Through the change of government, there is another reason for hope for a human and environmentally sustainable development in southern Crete: The Syriza government by stopping the sale of Paximadia islands in the Gulf of Messaras to a Russian investor has shown (in front of Timbaki and Matala) that it bases its decisions on the country's development of sustainable criteria. We will support them in these good endeavors and we would like to thank all those who have already signed the open letter and petition.
+++ 15th August 2013 +++
The spokesperson of the initiative against the harbour for containers and the hotel project, Pavlos Kakogiannakis, has emphasised that in the event of a negative court decision the initiative will continue to legally oppose the project “We will go to Brussels to the EU. We are convinced that the developments and approvals so far are the result of corruption and most of all this is about planned subsidy fraud. We want to address both issues in front of the European court."
The initiative against the hotel project has obtained unexpected help. A law professor from Germany has agreed to offer his assistance if the matter will be dealt with by a court on an international level.
+++ 2ndJuly, 2013 +++
Based on the initiative of hotel planners, a court hearing took place on whether the coastal road at the beach of Akoúmia is to be kept open or should be closed as required by the investors. Just as a reminder: The investors wanted to have the road, which has been in use for decades, closed. By doing this it would become a cul-de-sac and thus the beach around the hotel could only be used by hotel guests.
One of the investors ' attorneys, Phillippos Nicolopoulos, professor of law at the University of Indianapolis in the United States with a branch in Athens and a member of the scientific council for environmental issues of the Greek government argued in a press report that a court had decided on the closure of the road and that the road now is illegal. He accused the authorities of perverting the course of justice and failure to act. He does not mention that in this mater converse decisions have been issued by both the court and the competent authorities, which intend to safeguard the existence of the road and in which a certain understanding for the concern of the residents as well as for a "privatization through the back door" is expressed.
Mr Nicolopoulos also published a text on the website of UNSESCO http://wpf.unesco- tlee.org/eng/offpap/top9/philnic.htm.
He writes; "… The responsible leader of the particular Nation-States must undertake a real mission against the tendencies of economic oligarchic circles and in favour of economic prosperity and of qualitative social and cultural life… The values should be in correspondence with social needs… The responsible political leaders should prove in action that has autonomy (at least relative), as a steering mechanism of a political system, against the pressures of interests of the predominant classes and groups. The political leaders should accept the social conflicts among classes and particular groups as an inherent characteristic of the social system. Those conflicts are not necessarily negative processes identified with an assumed "social pathology". They may…change the social-economic structures and make them fairer."
The initiatives against the harbour for containers and the hotel near Trio Petra are part of those “actions“ and "processes". Thank you Mr Nicolopoulos for your clever and wise words.
The court has postponed its decision to September. It is probable that the matter will be referred to a higher court located in Athens.
+++ 22nd January, 2013 +++
The action group opposing the building of the harbour for containers near Timbaki has published on its website that the plans for building a harbour which had been stopped in 2009 have now been resumed. The Greek Minister for Merchant Shipping, Manolis Kefalogiannis, as well as Prime Minister Samaras have already held talks with representatives of the Chinese investors. The action group has resumed its fight against the project and is determined to do everything possible in order to prevent such building. http://ns.no-‐container-‐port-‐in-‐timbaki.net/facts de. php
+++ 23rd
April 2012 +++
Pavlos Kakogiannakis ´ initiative was successful and convinced the mayor as well as the local council that maintaining the road at Triopetra beach is beneficial for the community. The municipal council has confirmed to administratively campaign for the road and to financially participate in the necessary costs. This means a considerable strengthening of the position of the project´ s opponents.
Already in January a hearing took place at the court in Chania. All present signatures on the petition (which amounted to 3023 votes at that time) were submitted to the court. Also the commissioned expert opinion- on the economic and ecological costs and benefits of the intended plan- was brought forward as an argument to not announce a ruling at this time.
The court has approved the motion and ruled that the road shall be preserved until the expert opinion will be available.
This is a small but important stage win in the fight for the region´s future! “We assume that we have won one to two years of time” said a spokesperson of the initiative. It will presumably take that time until the expert opinion will be available.
About the status of the hotel project Trio Petra:
No new information could be obtained from the project investor Dolphin-Capitals. Project details shown on the website are unchanged and have not been updated; the community of Akóumia has no knowledge about the current state of affairs or obvious activities.
Is this good or bad news for supporters of an environmentally compatible development on Crete´s south coast? We do not know. In view of the magnitude of the planned projects we feel however it to be absolutely necessary not only to inform the communities concerned about the current planning state but to involve them in the planning itself.
Steps have been taken by the municipal council at the hotel project Trio Petra/ Akóumia. A dialogue has started and thus the possibility to influence decisions. There is no dialogue with the investor, a dialogue with higher administrative levels only takes place sporadically and within limits, which is bureaucratic, tedious, subordinated.
We will continue to receive more information from both the next higher administrative level and the investor, specifically for the hotel project Trio Petra. The objective is and will be to strengthen a democratic decision process which is based on comprehensible facts.
+++ 21st November, 2011 +++
Action group to commission an expert opinion on the consequences of the hotel project
The action group has instructed a solicitor, who has objected to the court`s decision for the destruction of the coastal road. Unfortunately the objection has no legally binding suspending effect on the decision. In addition, the group intends to commission an expert opinion on the economic and ecological consequences of the hotel project. Such an expert opinion was mainly responsible for the successful opposition to the container port near Timbaki. “We want proof with facts that the planned hotel project will have more disadvantages than advantages for this region in terms of ecological and economic aspects”, one of their speakers says. In this connection the action group did emphasize once again that they do not care for a « NIMBY » action but for a commitment for “sustainable development of our region, at best for a master plan for all of the South West coast of Crete.” (NIMBY: Not in my backyard = St. Florian`s principle: everywhere different but not for us)
+++ 10th November, 2011 +++
Uncertainty about day X for destroying the coastal road
Scheduled date uneventfully passed by / A spokesman for the action group: "We do not know when the bulldozer will arrive we only know that it will arrive".
The date for the destruction of the coastal road in the region of Triopetra beach (just in front of the planned hotel) has passed by without the council having had the announced building project carried out. On this, the council gave no comment. "They do not tell us when the bulldozers will arrive; the only certainty is that they will come. The authorities intend to carry out the action as quietly as possible, therefore this secrecy. And these things go easier after the tourists have returned home", a member of the action group said on site." We will stay vigilant and react quickly. When the bulldozer arrives, a lot of people will be there to meet it. We have made contact with national and international media, some of them will also be present when day x arrives."
+++ 09/09th 2011 +++
Demolition of Triopetra beachroad scheduled for October
Last week the vice-president of Cretan administration, Mr. Karoutzos, and the speaker of the local initiative, Mr. Pavlos Kakogiannakis had a discussion concerning the plans for the Triopetra-hotel and the closure of the beachroad. Mr. Karoutzos validated the administration´s decision of demolishing the Triopetra beachroad in October. He said that the administration is forced to do so because of a court decision which would be binding for the administration.
He endorsed that only decisive commitment of the public could have the power to change the run of events.
Mr. Kakogiannakis announced strong and firmly demonstration and resistance of the local population against the closure and the demolition of the road.
If you are interested in joining the demonstration the day the bulldozers will come, please contact the initiative:
info@save-south-crete.eu