Xylofagou, Cyprus. Businesses and fishermen in Xylofagou staged protests on Monday against the British Bases’ firing range in Dhekelia, citing blocked quarry expansion plans and declining monthly incomes.
Quarry operators block firing range
Companies in the Xylofagou quarry area blocked the firing range to protest the authorities’ failure to review their application for the quarry’s expansion.
Speaking on their behalf, Constantinos Kypris said the Famagusta and Larnaca districts “are being trapped.”
“There are no materials for people to work, to build houses, to construct roads, and 60 families in the quarries, in addition to 100 external collaborators, are directly affected,” he said.
Kypris said the situation is causing problems for the construction industry and added that “we do not want to be here, but they are forcing us with the problem created by the environment department of the British Bases.”
He said the situation has been frozen since 2018. “Our patience has run out, and we won’t leave here until they give us the green light to get the materials we need to work,” he said.
Proposed solutions
Kypris proposed either bypassing the environmental studies demanded by the British Bases’ environment department, which the Cyprus government deemed unnecessary, or allocating a worksite in the buffer zone adjacent to the firing range.
He said that over the past eight years the group has made numerous efforts and complied with every demand, including studies, while overcoming obstacles.
British Bases response
A British Bases spokesperson said the administration respects the right to peaceful, lawful protest and remains fully committed to supporting the Xylofagou quarry operators’ expansion request, in line with legal requirements.
The spokesperson said there was ongoing contact with the Cyprus government throughout the process and acknowledged its support.
What impact do you think delays in quarry expansion have on your area’s construction and employment?