New hotel plans rejected in Mykonos' Ano Mera and Koufonissi
The Culture Ministry rejected architectural plans for two new hotels, in Mykonos' Ano Mera and Ano Koufonissi, citing protection of monuments and archaeological sites.
Culture Ministry authorities rejected two hotel investment plans in the Cyclades, in Mykonos and Ano Koufonissi.
In Ano Mera, Mykonos, the architectural study for a two-story hotel with basement at the "Mantou Koukoulou" site, owned by P.S.K. AKINITA I.K.E., was denied. The decisive factor was the proximity to the post-Byzantine church of Agios Onoufrios, which is automatically protected, as well as the traditional architectural character of the settlement. Authorities determined the building would be in direct visual contact with the church and would harm it. The investment is not entirely ruled out, as a new study respecting traditional architecture has been requested.
In Ano Koufonissi, a revision of a building permit for a 4-star hotel at the "Pano Meri" site, outside the settlement, owned by Vasiliki Dimitriou and Georgios Pyromallis, was not approved. The new proposal included extensive underground spaces, a pool, large pergolas and decorative water features, which authorities said would further degrade the surroundings of the archaeological site.
The property lies within a designated archaeological site, and no decision from a competent state body had been submitted recognizing the adjacent rural road as capable of conferring building rights on the plot.