Polemidia Mayor defends licensing of contested petrol station

THE MAYOR of Kato Polemidia George Georgiou yesterday defended the decision to grant a construction license to a petrol station at Spyros Kyprianou Avenue, despite the strong objections of residents and the Green Party.

According to Georgiou the municipality was legally obliged to grant the permit, as Town Planning had already provided a licence to the petrol station.

“First I’d like to reject all the defamatory attacks against us and the Ministry of Interior. The Municipal Council held a special meeting and after hearing the conclusions of our legal advisors we unanimously decided not to suspend work or to recall the license because that would not be legal and the Municipality would have to pay huge compensation,” Georgiou said at a press conference at Polemidia yesterday.

“It is not possible for us to act on will and according to what is to our interest. As Mayor I have not committed the slightest illegality and that is why we have never been reported or remanded by any state institution,” he added.

According to Georgiou, local governments have jurisdiction under the Streets and Construction Law, but the state has the highest authority in such cases. In this case, Town Planning Services, representing the state, have supremacy. Therefore, Georgiou said that as Town Planning, granted a licence to the petrol station, the municipality was legally obliged to grant a construction license.

Area residents have been contesting the petrol station’s construction, claiming that there will be safety hazards and traffic congestion burdens from the station’s operation The main reasons residents object to the gas station’s construction are its proximity to local houses, the fact that the area already suffers from traffic congestion and that there are already numerous petrol stations in the area, with the closest one standing 100m away from the site in question. The Green Party supported the residents’ efforts and has issued statements calling for a re-examination of the gas station’s placement.

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