11.05.2022
The Mayor of Derynia, Andros Karagiannis, expresses his displeasure with the recently announced British Base Land Development Plan, as he claims “Derynia is being hurt again”.
The municipality said in a written statement that “the unoccupied and semi-occupied Derynia is the only local authority that will not benefit from the British Bases Land Development Plan announced by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus and the United Kingdom.”
In particular, “out of the 4 municipalities and 23 communities covered by the specific plan, Dherynia is the only municipality that has been affected as it is the most important area for the Republic of Cyprus and the vulnerable area of Strovilia due to military operations and the security needs for British bases are not taken into account. This is a serious blow and a second blow to the uncritical Deryneia after the unfair treatment of it in the local government reform, since its features were not taken into account, as was done with another uncritical municipality.
According to the announcement, “The Strovilion Derynia area and its few inhabitants after the events of 2000, when the Turkish army forced them to leave their homes, today, in 2022, and after 8 years of consultations, cannot be treated the same with other areas in British bases .
It is also noted that “After this announcement, Strovilia Derynia will remain at a dead end for development and business, while 20 or so residents will be forced to either leave the area or sell their property, in case the Republic of Cyprus and the leadership of the British bases do not provide property owners with additional housing and financial incentives to upgrade existing homes or create new housing units.”
The mayor of Deryneia, Andros Karagiannis, “personally expressed his regret and dissatisfaction with this development to both the President of the Republic and the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom, as well as the commander of the British bases.”
