It began with a small flurry of local news outlets reporting that British Armed Forces bases located on Cyprus had started raising objections to Melco’s planned €550 million resort casino development in the Zakaki area in Limassol. The development will include a full casino, as well as hotel and restaurant facilities, retail areas and an events centre.
Local media had variously reported that British bases had objected to the developments on environmental grounds, while others hinted at hidden motivations surrounding military activities in the region. In the face of this reporting, the British military have issued a statement to the effect that they “have no jurisdiction in areas of the Republic of Cyprus” and have denied the accusations made in the local media reports. They also stated in the same announcement that they will work closely with the Cyprus government to maintain and protect the environment in Cyprus. While acknowledging that they had held meetings on the subject, saying that they “… did hold discussions with the Republic of Cyprus department of the environment and the game fund on this issue in late March,” they deny any interest in blocking developments.
As it happens, the Cypriot Department of Environment has yet to give the all-clear for the development, based on the Environmental Impact Assessment performed by two companies – Pro Plan Limited & Envi Services – on behalf of Melco. Most of the local media have blamed the British bases for delaying this green light. Originally, this was expected to take place before the groundbreaking ceremony, currently scheduled for the 8th of June.
The main environmental concern seems to centre around noise and light pollution which might occur too close to the wetlands of Akrotiri and negatively impact wildlife in that region. The Environmental Impact Assessment reported that there would be no adverse impact on the wildlife in that area, and that the resort would be built within an urban zone which did not support or contain such vulnerable wildlife.
The statement by the British bases at least implies that they are not attempting to prevent the project moving forward, and many media outlets will surely take this at face value. But others will likely continue to speculate that the issue of environmental protection might well be a cover for more military concerns over use of such areas for training or other confidential military exercises.
