Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

We took our visitors up to the Karpaz yesterday. They enjoyed the stunning scenery and the beautiful beaches.
We took them to see what was the lovely beach at Gold Island. We hadn't been up since the huts were removed.
At Gold Island the scene is one of complete destruction. The restaurant and shower block are partially demolished with rubbish lying everywhere. It seems like they were destroyed to be rendered unuseable and just left, as are the stumps left from where the lodges stood. They came, they destroyed and did not clean the debris on the site or return it to its natural state. Goodness knows what tourists think. We were disgusted.
We thought that the idea of removing the huts was because they were harming the environment, it seems to us that they have done half a job and done more to destroy the environment because they are too lazy to complete the clear up from their destruction. A very sad scene and reflection on the attitude of the powers that be.
We ended up at Sea bird, again the huts are demolished and chaos is all around. A total eyesore. We used the beach but all around the rocks rubbish and plastic bags had been dumped by visitors. A lone donkey was scavenging among the rubbish.
In a field on the way up another lone donkey was tethered in the middle of a field, with no shade and no water. He was still there when we came home and it was 32C yesterday. It was very upsetting.
Is there a number to phone to report the donkey's plight?
It will be a while before we take any more visitors further on than Balci Plaza in future, I think Cyprus Today should get up to Gold Island and do a feature with photographs showing the state of the beach after the so called improvements.

Sad indeed Panchocat. Perhaps you should contact Cyprus Today. A journalist and a photographer producing an article about this might prompt some action

Panchocat, whilst sharing your disquiet, a CT feature will not be read by Cypriots and only they can effect change. Sad state of affairs, but hey ho, "this is Cyprus my friend" as we expats are regularly informed.

There is the Tashkent nature reserve which I was hoping would appear at the top of the page as I always forget the name (found name). They did get involved recently about a donkey left tied up in the same situation, hopefully someone has a better memory than me ........

To report this please call - Taskent Nature Park - the number is 1190.....

I live near all this devastation and the people who lost everything are my neighbours. I agree that there was too much development, but then nobody stopped it. The people who could have done this years earlier were customers at the bungalows, that are now smashed. People are now camping on the beach, lighting fires, A man was given a 3 month contract to put out sun loungers and he did make an attempt to clear the rubbish, but then the bin men stopped coming and the bags were ripped open by animals, Our Italian friends found two Arab families cooking on the beach at Sea Bird two days ago. Afterwards they did all the washing up in the sea. A donkey that was obviously hit by a car and obviously left to suffer was wondering around the Golden Beach area and found by a German couple. They contacted me and told me that the guy who still lives there has called the authorities but nobody came. I called Ulas at Taskent Doga Parki, yesterday evening and he was great, organised transport straight away and the poor animal was picked up and taken to their sanctuary this morning!!! He had a bone sticking out and festering bleeding wounds, could hardly walk.
Pity I did not see this until now.
I cannot go there any more , it is too upsetting
In another conversation, not on KIBKOM the spokesperson from the relevant department tried to justify this demolition action, by saying that first all had to be taken down and then they would build a buffet, changing cubicles, showers and toilets, that was some weeks ago, so where are people going to the toilet now??? I won't even speculate!!!!!!!!
I can't think of anything more badly organised than this. The phrase 'P*** Up in a brewery' comes to mind!!!!!

As far as i know the several court orders to stop (basically the rental) business and to undo the huts and to bring the site to the original state (incl the more or less accepted right to continue with a restaurant business to a certain stage as this was the original permission) is several many years old, but never an order was followed.
Instead, business even was enlarged. Police came: warning, next court order, lawyers, lobbying .. the years passed..
at last some of the site operators did find themselves in prison (for not following court orders)
And, finally, the court ordered (organized and payed) the demolition under police protection, but responsible for paying this bill AND to tidy up are the (old) site operators.
but, it seems they continue to ignore the court order.
It seems that they will get, one day, a huge bill.
Or (first or finally) the taxpayer will settle the bill (profits privatized, losses socialized).
Or it will be done from an “EU budget for the renaturalization of several Natura 2000 locations”.
Or, will it be done by the many many customers and nature lovers who did “enjoy the beauty of Karpaz” (in a natural reserve) , eg, in a yoga class or a meditation – massage session at the beach for all the years? Obviously not. instead they call Cyprus Today?
So, it may remains at it is.

İt is up to you to value the environmental impact of “ two Arab families cooking on the beach at Sea Bird two days ago. Afterwards they did all the washing up in the sea” and some people in need for a loo, against the many many people causing tons of washing up liquids and debris, tons of toilet dirtwater, the many liters of sunoil and and and... going into the sand and later to the sea ..... every day.
i also would assume that , with the number of visitors declining, the numbers of traffic accidents (with donkeys involved) most probably will go down.

Kibsolar, if the order was to demolish then at Gold Island it has only been half done!
The place looks like a war zone. Go and see it for yourself.
If the former owners have not cleaned up yet it is probably because they think, quite understandably, that the demolition work hasn't finished yet!
The authorities should be as disgusted and ashamed as we are at the state of the place.
They should also complete the work and if necessary bill those who should be responsible.
To leave the site as it is is a complete disgrace and a dereliction of duty.

As it was and remains the responsibility of the site operators (not “former¬¬¬¬ owners”, that implements that they have nothing to do with it any more ) to undo and tidy up, İ guess that the court ordered to demolish to a point where business is impossible.
fast and cheap and under police protection, but effective.
Do you want to blame the court for having a low budget only? İt is the tax payers money.

And no.. it is not “quite understandably” that the site opertators do not continue to tidy up.
but yes.. sorry. it IS understandably.. because they never felt responsible for the place itself.
This “nature loving thing in beautiful Karpaz incl Yoga classes ” was a business plan, nothing more.

No, i will not go there. İ did not go there for a long time. That to stay at the protected Natura 2000 places was legally doubtful everyone, who has some interest in this country (and followed “these cases” in the press from time to time), knows since 15 years. At least 10.

Glad to see Cyprus Today took the story up. Pity they didn't show the destruction and devastation at Gold Island as well as the pile of wood at Golden Beach.
If the Dipkarpaz hoteliers are hoping for the custom from the former small, albeit illegal, concerns then I think they will be disappointed. People went for the rustic idyll on a sandy beach.
If, as rumour has it, new bigger hotels are planned for the area then I don't think the beach hut lovers will be using them either. Surely if the planning restrictions are changed then the new, bigger hotels will spoil what's left of the beautiful Karpaz.

I'm presently painting a scene from the Golden Beach which I photographed in 2002
How idyllic and laid back those times were up there plus little or no odd tourist buildings and more importantly virtually no rubbish lying on the shores.
When iast visited in 2015 I was horrified with the contrast and all the tonnes of shredded plastic on all of the beaches.
Anything but a 'piece of heaven'.
So sad.

Recent reports have highlighted the enormous quantity of plastic waste in the oceans as a whole - not just in the Mediterranean.

This floating debris presents a huge danger to all forms öf aquatic life, and the prevailing Westerly wind and wave action tends to dump a lot of it in our corner of the Mediterranean, particularly on Western facing beaches.

Now that no one has a commercial interest in keeping those remote areas tidy, it's just allowed to build up - another job for a disinterested Belediye, which used to be done 'free of charge ' by the 'illegal' operators...

in 2015 (when journey1 took the pics), the businesses were in operation and it seems that they did not clean the many kilometer long beach(es) for “….commercial interest… free of charge…” from ( macro, mini and micro) plastic debris. This, btw, is not that easy. You need special machinery which do cost a fortune. Plus labour.
A 100.000 other (all disinterested ??) belediyes around the world have the same problem.

To use quotes and say “…. “illegal” operators… “ does not make these cases more legal.