Nicosia, Cyprus. Residents of Akrotiri are preparing legal action against plans by the British Bases to install 32 additional antennas in the area, while local authorities are examining the possibility of taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Legal challenge under review
Kourion municipality said it was seeking legal avenues to challenge the project, which would require the compulsory acquisition of about 340 acres of land within the Akrotiri area. The planned development is part of a wider communications infrastructure project at the British bases.
Residents raise concerns
Residents said the area already has a significant number of antenna installations and expressed concern about what they describe as rising cancer rates in the local community.
Lawyers appointed
Kourion mayor Pantelis Georgiou, who also chairs the Akrotiri management committee, said legal experts had been appointed to examine all available options. Lawyer Simos Angelides has been assigned to assess possible legal action on behalf of the committee, including the possibility of seeking an injunction to halt the project.
Possible court referral
Georgiou said obtaining such an order could be difficult, but added that the community intended to pursue all available remedies. The municipality has also retained lawyer Achilleas Demetriades to provide a separate legal opinion on whether the matter could ultimately be referred to the European Court of Human Rights.
Talks with officials
According to Georgiou, meetings have been requested with President Nikos Christodoulides and Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos. Further discussions are expected with the legal service once the assessments are completed.