The construction of another five-star hotel in Milos has been blocked by the island’s planning authority, which has halted the work after a court intervention and an appeal by local stakeholders.

The Hellenic Society for the Environment and Culture (ELLET – Local Committee of Milos) announced on Monday (6/4) that the Planning Department of Milos has stopped the work on the project, which was in the implementation phase.

Intervention after appeal

The project concerns the construction of a five-star hotel complex in Agios Konstantinos, comprising 14 buildings with multiple pools, spanning the entire peninsula. As noted by the local ELLET committee, this development raises serious concerns about the alteration of the natural landscape and the conversion of the area into a closed tourist complex.

As in the case of another major tourism investment, the “White Coast” in the Mytaka area, the relevant Building Authority (BMA) was asked to suspend projects for which it had granted permits, following court intervention. The Supreme Council of State (SCE) had been appealed to the Ellet (Local Committee of Milos) and the Group of Friends of Mountain and Milos Sea.

According to the announcement, this development came after an appeal by the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Culture and the Milos Mountain and Sea Friends Group, with the result that the same agency that had approved the permit was forced, after a court intervention, to suspend the work.

As highlighted this is another case of license, “with serious questions of legality, where the same competent service is called afterwards, after judicial intervention, to suspend work that had approved“, while it speaks of a vicious cycle “repeated in many cases on the island”.

Pressure from investment volume

This particular case is part of a wider wave of tourism investment on the island, with some 50 units underway, of which 26 have already entered the construction phase.

In the recent hearing of the case for this project, a temporary stay of works was granted, while a final decision on the application is expected within the next year.

In a statement, the members of ELLET Milos underline the importance of the decision, stressing that any such intervention by the CoE gives the island valuable time to preserve its authenticity and protect its natural environment. “Practices that bypass the rules and burden the place will find us against them,” they note.

At the same time, interest is turning to the Special Urban Plan (SPP) being drawn up for Milos and the other islands of the Southern Cyclades, which is expected to determine future land use and development limits. Within the next few days, the final text is expected to be published, which will reflect the most preferred scenario for the island, taking into account the comments submitted during the consultation process.

Stagnation in Sarakiniko

Regarding the case of the attempted construction of a hotel unit in Sarakiniko, the picture remains unchanged, despite the interventions of the Ministry of Environment and Energy. It is recalled that already on 27 January 2026, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, had requested in writing from the investment company and the Milos Town Planning Department the complete restoration of the natural landscape.

Specifically, he had requested the removal of the formwork and reinforcement, the refilling of the foundation area with the excavation products found within the land, as well as the restoration of the natural landscape of the area. At the same time, an order had been issued to remove any building material or other installation from the site.

The case brings to the fore the debate about the limits of tourism development in Milos, but also about the need for a balance between economic development and the protection of a particularly sensitive natural landscape.