The proceedings before the Supreme Court continued on Monday with oral arguments from both sides, regarding the case filed by residents of eight communities in the Mitsero area seeking an interim injunction against the relocation of an asphalt plant.
Before the proceedings began, residents and community representatives held another protest rally outside the Supreme Court, demanding that the work be suspended until the conclusion of the legal proceedings.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
At the start of the proceedings, which were attended by representatives of the affected communities of Mitsero, Agrokipia, Malounda, Aredio, Agios Ioannis, Kato Moni, Orounda, and Menoiko, the President of the Court, Antonis Liatsos, asked the attorneys for both sides to briefly comment on the written briefs they had already submitted to the court.
It should be noted that construction work at the site has already begun, a fact which, according to the communities, is one of the main reasons they are seeking immediate interim judicial protection, while yesterday, Sunday, a protest rally was held on Agios Ioannis–Kato Moni Street, at the spot where construction has already begun.
Journalist Rafaella Stavrinou was at the Supreme Court. Here’s what she reported on the Alpha News program:
It should be noted that in February 2026, the Administrative Court rejected an appeal filed by the eight communities against the Republic, which sought to annul the zoning permit for the relocation of an asphalt plant from the residential area of Dali to a site near the community of Mitsero, while in June 2026, the motion for a preliminary injunction to suspend the implementation of the zoning permit until the final ruling on the appeal was also rejected.
According to the case history, the court had ruled that no manifest illegality or irreversible harm had been proven to justify the suspension, with the communities appealing the decisions.
On behalf of the petitioners, the attorney for the eight communities, Natasha Iakovou, cited legal uncertainty, adding that this results in an “unacceptable” deviation from established Cypriot case law and a circumvention of European law, the principles and case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, while the very core of the right to interim relief and the right to a healthy environment for 5,000 citizens of the Republic of Cyprus is being undermined.
“While we are seeking legal protection, the Court of Appeals tells us that we cannot prove the danger posed by the plant’s operation,” he noted in this regard.
For their part, representatives of the Republic acknowledged that a difficult procedural landscape has emerged.
Specifically, they noted that the petitioners’ side made general references to principles, decisions, and the public interest, but did not explain exactly where the contradiction lies between the petition and the first-instance decision.
He also expressed doubts as to whether the petitioners actually desire a swift hearing of the case and a final ruling.
Upon the conclusion of the arguments, Mr. Liatsos stated that the Court’s decision would be issued as soon as possible.
Source: CNA
