CLIENT: PMV Maritime Holdings Ltd
SUBCONTRACTORS: Marine & Environmental Research (MER) Lab Ltd, NGA Consulting, Engineers Ltd, PLZ Toposurvey Consultants Ltd
Paralimni Marina was a proposed 300 berth marina and a mixed commercial, recreational and residential development in the area of Pernera, in Paralimni Municipality. The main feature of the waterfront zone will be a mixed-use development incorporating a blend of residences, specialty shops, marine sector retail, bars and restaurants. The residential quarter of the development will comprise a mix of predominantly waterfront apartments as well as a small number of private villas on the raised land to the rear of the site.
An EIA Study was elaborated to accompany the Planning Permit Application for the Paralimni Marina project. Moreover, detailed marine surveys to describe and understand the marine environment value and processes of the development area, a Traffic Impact Assessment study to check whether current road network capacity with the proposed project can accommodate future traffic loads, as well as a water demand calculation study and investigation of supply options were also elaborated. These studies, along with the coastal engineering studies to compare the pre- with the post- Marina coastal conditions, provided necessary information that were an important input for the EIA study.
A Scoping Stage was preceded of any works for the EIA process, resulting to specific requirements of the competent authorities as far as it concerns the EIA content. Several discussions followed with the Department of Environment, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, the Marine Works and the Traffic Studies Section of the Public Works Department, the Masterplanners of the project and the Client took place, as well as the careful examination of the different documents handed over about the project.
Α staged approach was followed to meet the needs of the EIA needed to be performed. This approach consisted of the following distinct stages, following the Scoping Stage that defined the general scope and assessment depth, as well as all required input data and supplementary studies for the EIA:
- Execution of site investigations such as marine surveys, traffic counts, collection of necessary data in an integrated way in order to collect all required information needed to set the baseline conditions of the project site, and identify areas of concern and possible impacts,
- Finalization of supplementary studies and EIA documentation, and
- Submittal of the EIA and its supplementary studies to the competent authorities, and support its evaluation procedure until a Formal Opinion was issued by the Department of Environment.
The overall objective of the Environmental Impact Assessment was to provide a high level of protection of the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations into the preparation and adoption of the project plan with a view to promoting sustainable development. The environmental assessment was achieved via (a) the already executed scoping phase, (b) the preparation of the environmental report and its submittal; and (c) through any consultations that took place after submittal of the EIA Study. The EIA process was a parallel process with the project design development, to which feedback was given in order to enhance the project’s environmental performance.
