The shocking event of the issuance of a building permit for the construction of a 5-star hotel at Sarakiniko in Northern Milos has shaken public opinion and brought to light a series of serious issues in the entire legal procedure of building permits.

However, it has mainly exposed a significant gap in the protection of parts of the country with unique natural landscapes, which is left to the discretion of each investor.

In order to prevent the complete alteration of the Sarakiniko landscape, the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Culture calls on the Ministry of Environment and Energy to:

• Revoke the building permit for this specific building and any others planned in the area, once all work is definitively halted.
• Immediately promote the designation of the area as protected (e.g., of special natural beauty) and undeveloped, due to its geological formations and unique landscape.
• Publish the geological study of the SCHOAP (Spatial and Urban Planning Scheme for Open City), which was promoted by the municipality, in order to make the proposals for the area’s geological formations in Northern Milos known.
• Immediately commission a study, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, to restore the landscape affected by the construction of the hotel and any other works in the area, and proceed with the prompt restoration of the damaged landscape.