Court allows asphalt plant construction in Mitsero despite protests from eight villages

Cyprus’ Administrative Court of Appeal has dismissed a lawsuit filed by eight village councils in the Nicosia region that sought to block the construction of a new asphalt-concrete plant in the industrial area of Mitsero. The communities of Mitsero, Agrokipia, Agios Ioannis, Kato Moni, Arediou, Meniko, Malounta and Orounta insisted that the project should be frozen because of irreparable damage to the environment and public health. The judges found these arguments unproven, which allows the developer to continue the work until the final court hearing, where the legality of the issued permit will be assessed conclusively.

The court’s decision exposes a classic deadlock in Cyprus’ domestic politics: the state addresses congestion and pollution in one area at the expense of another. The relocation of the facilities to Mitsero was intended as relief for residents of the Dali community, who had suffered for nearly ten years from a choking smell and the proximity of factories to schools, going as far as to block the Nicosia — Limassol highway. However, instead of a systemic modernization of the sector and the removal of harmful industries to a safe distance from any residential areas, the authorities simply shifted the environmental burden onto eight other villages, triggering a new wave of social tension.

The court’s refusal to suspend construction during the proceedings appears legally shortsighted and sets a dangerous precedent. If the plaintiffs are able to prove the environmental risks at the final hearing and secure the permit’s cancellation, by then a finished or half-built industrial facility will already stand in Mitsero. Dismantling such a complex and finding a new site again would result in enormous losses for both investors and the state budget. The logic of the judges, who allowed construction to continue until the final ruling, places the economic interests of contractors above the preventive protection of the environment.