Sifnos locals, friends stand up against overdevelopment

Local residents and businesses on Sifnos are backing a letter recently sent by the municipality to three ministries, calling for a ban on swimming pools, underground buildings, the alteration of the island's architectural heritage and the destruction of paths.

In a letter, 100 friends of the island sound the alarm over anarchic tourist/residential development, declaring support for the municipal initiative, pointing to a multitude of issues that are interconnected. These include water management, anarchic building and Natura protected areas. "It is clear the local community itself is ready to demand a development that will safeguard the present and the future of its children," it states.

"On Sifnos, as on other Cycladic islands, there is concern the situation will deteriorate," said Yannis Spilanis, professor at the University of the Aegean and director of the Aegean...