AN ASSOCIATION set up to preserve the nature and culture of Tala village, on the outskirts of Paphos, has hit out at the government for failing to listen to their needs.
Mike Stock, Secretary of the Tala Cultural and Environmental Association, has told the Cyprus Mail that the Association, formed in March, has several major concerns, which have not been addressed.
The first is regarding developers in the area who allegedly disregard regulations by building too close to plot boundaries and exceed height limits. Others are said to proceed before planning and building approval is given, or without showing any consideration for neighbours or the environment.
“The regulations say that new buildings must be at least three metres away from plot boundaries and, in village areas such as this, must not be over 8.5 metres in height,” Stock said.
“However, we have seen a number of developers in the area violating the law and when we try to talk to them about our concerns, they simply ignore us.
“We’re not an Association made up of immigrants that tries to cause problems for local people, with our association being run by three Cypriots and three non-Cypriots.”
Stock first came to live in Tala five years ago and described it as, “a lovely little village back then, with so much character”.
“Unfortunately, there has been an explosion of building activity since.”
Another concern is that no serious effort is being made to tackle speeding traffic in the community. “There are two particular roads which have seen nasty and fatal accidents in the past,” he said. Speed limits are not observed by motorists and the police are too thin on the ground to set up radar checks, which are too few and far between. When we try and talk to the Tala Village Authority, we don’t get the answers that we are entitled to.”
Stock also spoke about a community-wide absence of safe areas where children can play, saying the only available place is a run-down football pitch with a cinder surface. “The land is Turkish owned so it’s unlikely that anything will happen, despite the Mukhtar saying it will be redeveloped. The village does not have a park, meaning children play in the streets or on any scrap of land they can find.
The final issue is over what the Association believes are inadequate arrangements for the cleaning up of public areas, with no control being exercised over the dumping of rubbish. “Builders are an uncaring and dirty bunch,” Stock said, “leaving behind cement bags, tiles and air conditioning boxes in the streets. There is also nowhere for people to take unwanted refrigerators and washing machines, meaning they are just dumped anywhere.”
President of the Association, Rinos Stefani added that, “no serious effort to protect and preserve the centre of the village and traditional architecture is being made and developers are damaging the natural environment, uprooting trees and destroying the character of the village.
“We are in talks with NGOs, the Green Party, the District Officer and the Forestry and Water Departments and are gathering information in an effort to form proposals for the local authority.”
Two Community members are available every Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm at the Tala Stamna Tavern, where people can express their views, which will be passed on to the authorities.
On February 9, before the Association was even formed, a personal letter was sent by Stock to the Interior Minister raising the above concerns and while it was acknowledged, “there was no response to our questions,” Stock said.
