Steep road remains unfinished despite complaints
A KARŞIYAKA resident has renewed complaints over more asphalting of dirt roads in forested land above the village and an unfinished road to a hilltop property under construction behind Uçoluklu Sokak which was started last year.
Tom Roche said: “Mud is already coming down from the site across our street to the side of our property. The steep road remains unfinished. There has also been dumping of construction site waste in forestry land nearby.
“We are now worried about the effect of heavy rain, roads into the forest and that more construction may be permitted.”
Permission for a “Karşıyaka Road Separation” project to link Uçoluklu Sokak to the property and dirt roads to the rear on state-owned land was approved by a 2010 Cabinet decision, which was amended in February 2017.
Girne District Governor Sinan Güneş, who has authority over rural land in the area, said: “Written objections should be handed to our Zoning and Construction Department and inspectors will investigate. If the project does not have the relevant permits we will take action.”
Lapta Municipality Zoning and Public Works head Hakan Güney told Cyprus Today on Wednesday: “The project was approved by the government under the jurisdiction of the Girne District Office.
“The Roadworks Department is supervising drainage and road construction for this project.”
A spokesman for the Roadworks Department advised: “We have a secondary road project in the area but the access road would be the landowner’s responsibility with advice from the Water Board and District Office.”
A legal move against the scheme by lawyer and Lapta councillor Emre Efendi was ruled ‘unsuitable’ by the Supreme Court last year.
Mr Efendi had invoked the law on good governance against the Cabinet decision and called for a public meeting on road projects which might open more construction above the village.
Mr Güney added that Lapta Municipality was liaising with the Town Planning Directorate on a new zoning and construction plan for the area adding: “Studies are continuing and we hope to finalise the plan next year.”
He dismissed fears that more construction might be permitted in the area and confirmed that “there are no other permits for construction nearby”.
“Following flooding last winter, our team is working on the clearing of waterways and roadworks within municipality boundaries,” he said.
In 2018, following winter floods, Girne American University architecture professor Hossein Sadri highlighted the risk of increasing percentages of concrete and asphalt surfaces after he mapped lost waterways to the Girne coast.