According to a statement by the Municipalities of Paphos and Peyia, in their letter they note that they disagree with the arguments for the referral of the Law, which they consider unfounded for various reasons.
As stated, firstly, they disagree with the argument that their municipalities have little in common (physical, social and economic) with the communities of Akamas and therefore have different needs, as well as development prospects. As Municipalities, the two Mayors continue in their statement, "bordering the communities of Akamas, and knowing more than any other our characteristics and needs, confirm that these are communities that share the same characteristics (physical, social and economic), which can be further highlighted through the fusion of all the neighbouring communities with our Municipalities".
Undoubtedly, all the communities of Akamas and the wider area of Polis Chrysochous are in decline, while the Municipalities of Polis Chrysochous and Pegeia are prospering, they note, are on a growth trajectory, are staffed with the necessary personnel and provide all required services to their citizens.
Therefore, they can and do have the administrative and financial capacity to help the communities to cope to the maximum in various areas, which implies the prosperity of the communities and consequently the improvement of the living standards of the inhabitants. The integration of the communities into the Municipalities of Pegeia and Polis Chrysochous will not cause serious administrative, practical, urban planning, social, economic and operational problems in the future development of the communities, nor will it intensify, they note, the phenomenon of homelessness, as stated, inter alia, in the reasons for the referral of the Law, on the contrary, the amalgamation of communities, which, as mentioned above, are gradually disappearing, will bring about an improvement in living standards and, through the subsequent prosperity and development of the new municipalities, will provide an incentive for residents to remain in their communities.
At the same time, regarding the argument about the Akamas Local Plan under preparation, they point out that in the Report on the preparation of the Local Plan of Peyia, it is noted that the whole process of its preparation is being promoted in terms of the necessity of managing the Akamas Peninsula, which is imposed by relevant decisions of the Council of Ministers, part of which falls within the administrative area of the Municipality of Pegeia and despite the existence of different needs and perspectives, which the Municipality of Pegeia presents with the other communities of the Akamas Peninsula, it was considered appropriate to prepare two separate Local Plans, however, the provisions of the two plans, to the extent that they concern issues of protection, management and promotion of natural wealth are in full harmony and consistency.
It is also noted in the said Report that within the study area two of the three state forests, which make up the Akamas Peninsula, the Pegeia Forest and the Akamas Forest, are included within the study area. At this point they note that communities with different characteristics are also included in the Local Plan of the Municipality of Golden City, but this fact does not act as a deterrent to the development and prosperity of the Municipality. In a similar way, the communities of Akamas can coexist harmoniously with the Municipality of Peyia. In conclusion, for all the reasons mentioned above, they disagree with the referral of the relevant Law and restate the position of their Municipalities, as they add, for the implementation of the already passed Law for the creation of the Municipality of Akamas and the Municipality of Polis Chrysochous, so that eventually the Municipalities of Polis and Pegeia with the merger of the neighbouring communities become administrative entities capable of coping with the increased responsibilities, powers and obligations under the reform, operating effectively for the benefit of society and citizens.
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