The Administrative Court has dismissed an appeal by BirdLife Cyprus and Friends of the Earth Cyprus against the planning permit for the Pentakomo aquaculture port, ruling that the application was filed out of time. The decision, issued nine months after the hearing concluded, did not examine whether the project complies with environmental law.
The two organisations had challenged the planning approval for the large-scale aquaculture harbour on the Limassol coast, arguing that the project lacked an adequate environmental assessment and posed a direct threat to the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal, one of the rarest marine mammals in the world. The case had been classified as urgent given the risk of irreversible damage to the coastline, and the hearing was held under an accelerated procedure on 2 September 2025.
The court's dismissal on a technicality mirrors the fate of an earlier interim order, which was overturned in May 2025 also without examination of the substantive environmental arguments. In neither instance did the court assess whether the project's permitting process was legally sound.
"We are not at all satisfied with a decision that, after nine months of waiting, does not examine any of the substantive environmental issues we brought before the court," said Melpo Apostolidou, director of BirdLife Cyprus. "Citizens have the right to know whether a project of this scale is compatible with environmental law. Unfortunately, that question remains unanswered."
The organisations said the ruling leaves unresolved a series of significant concerns, including the state's years-long delay in designating the area as a Proposed Site of Community Importance under EU law, the strict protection obligations arising from the presence of the Mediterranean monk seal, potential harm to priority habitats including Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, and what they describe as a conflict of interest within the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, which both promotes the project and holds responsibility for monk seal protection. A report by the Auditor General published in April 2024 had already found that relevant departments failed to follow correct procedures and did not ensure full compliance with Article 6.3 of the EU Habitats Directive in the permitting process.
The organisations expressed particular frustration at the timeline. If the court ultimately concluded only that the appeal was filed late, they said, there was no clear justification for why nine months were needed to reach that conclusion, especially in a case formally designated as urgent.
Throughout that period, construction at Pentakomo continued. The distinctive white rock formations along the coastline were further altered, and the environmental impact of the works accumulated without any judicial assessment of the merits.
BirdLife Cyprus and Friends of the Earth Cyprus said they will study the ruling carefully and assess their next legal steps.
