DRYMOU’S village leader Socrates Socratous has blasted reports by the Group for the Protection of Ancient Trees (OPADE) that the construction of village council offices on Drymou cliff will destroy the area’s ecological and archaeological treasures.
Socratous insisted that the claims are unfounded and that the building will cause no harm to his village.
“We initially said that we would not respond to these unfounded reports, as we have followed legal avenues from the outset.
“We also knew that the only reason some have reacted in this way is not on account of their love for the environment or their love for our village,” Socratous said in a joint statement with Nikos Tsavellas, President of the Village Expats Association.
Socratous and Tsavellas said that they decided to set the record straight after OPADE mobilised the Green Party, which sided with the NGO in blasting the construction of village council offices on the village cliff.
OPADE and the Greens had claimed that the natural and archaeological treasures in the area that would be affected, including an ancient cave with underground networks that will inevitably be destroyed as the building will be constructed just 5m away; that the entire area forms part of an ancient cemetery; that the starting point to the Kolotas nature trail would be destroyed; that the first water fountain of the village dating to 1954 would be torn down; dozens of cypress trees will be cut, and that nearby Archangel chapel and a giant ancient tree may also be affected.
Socratous insists that all these claims are unfounded and misinformed.
“The ancient cave is one – not many as the reports claim – and will not be destroyed. The cave is located 30m away from the construction site. Also, the nature trail will not be affected – it will be preserved, in contrast to what the false claims assert,” noted Socratous.
“As for the claims that there is an ancient cemetery below the ground, we have been assured by the relevant authorities that the site has no archaeological value. In addition, the claims that the first water fountain in the village will be torn down, is just a figment of someone’s imagination.
“Furthermore, regarding the cutting of the protected oak tree, we can just say that the Forestry Department has repeatedly visited the site, from the time that the initial plans were drafted.
“Even after the reports that a certain oak tree would be cut, the Forestry Department went on site again looking for the oak tree. The search was in vain, as there is actually no oak tree,” he continued.
Socratous also confirmed that the construction of the offices has already begun as a contractor has been commissioned with the project.
