A meeting was held at the Bellonio Cultural Center in Fira to discuss the Special Urban Plan (SUP) for Thira Municipality, marked by calmness compared to previous events in Mykonos. The mayor of Thira, Nikos Zorzos, described the island’s circumstances as “very bad,” highlighting the need for a balanced approach and infrastructure over new investors.
During the assembly, residents emphasized the necessity for more stringent construction controls, while local stakeholders expressed worry regarding strategic tourism investments.
The Special Urban Plan (SUP) for Thira Municipality proposal, presented by “Samaras & Partners,” suggested increasing the minimum land size for residential construction from 4 to 8 acres, reflecting similar ideas from Mykonos.
The proposal recommended 40 acres, a building factor of 0.15, and a cap of 150 beds for large tourist accommodations.
- Thymios Bakogiannis indicated that significant tourist developments under construction would not advance if they failed to comply with the final SUP stipulations.
- Dimitris Samaras emphasized the need to safeguard the island, mentioning the shift from allowing construction on 62.7% of the island’s area to just 12.3%, or even below 5%, in the preferred scenario.
- The SUP drastically increased protection areas in the municipality from 11.4% to 43.1%.
Concerns about the island’s carrying capacity (CC) revealed significant discrepancies in urban management and infrastructure, including waste management and road transport inefficiencies.
Water supply challenges were noted, with outdated infrastructure causing over 37% losses and visitor consumption considerably higher than residents’.
Discussions are open, with the public invited to submit feedback on a dedicated digital platform.
Discrepancies in official population data were also debated, with some questioning their accuracy and impact on planning decisions. Concerns were expressed about housing issues for workers and doctors and the lack of funding tools for necessary infrastructure improvements.
The local hotel association opposed strategic investments that transform houses into short-term rentals, advocating for a more balanced bed ratio between hotels and short-term rentals.
