Garitsa Grove Association: “Garitsa Will Not Become a Marina”
Corfu, June 18 – The Garitsa Grove Association has released a statement following yesterday’s municipal council meeting, expressing its clear and categorical opposition to the proposed marina for pleasure boats in the historic Garitsa Bay. The association stresses that this issue extends beyond Garitsa itself, impacting the very identity of Corfu, the preservation of its natural environment, the city’s historical memory, and the fundamental right of citizens to free access to the coastal front.
The association recalled that when they previously highlighted the objective of creating a marina behind the plans for Garitsa, they were met with mockery and accusations of exaggeration. However, current developments, they argue, prove that their concerns were neither fantasies nor exaggerations, but rather political foresight based on real data.
Accelerated Procedures and Environmental Concerns
The association observes an acceleration of procedures, justified by the argument that potential private initiatives must be preempted. These initiatives, under an unacceptable institutional framework, could seek to establish a marina for pleasure boats within the historic Garitsa Bay.
The problem, according to the association, is not merely technical but profoundly political, environmental, and social. They point out that while it is publicly acknowledged that currently anchored vessels cause damage to Posidonia seagrass, the proposed solution cannot be a new facility with 100 boats, covering a sea area of 100,000 sq.m., and located just 100 meters from the coast.
The association asserts that the solution to environmental degradation cannot be the permanent establishment of the bay as a boat parking area. Posidonia cannot be protected by legislating a marina for pleasure boats, and the historic Garitsa Bay cannot be treated as a field for commercial exploitation.
Key Demands for Garitsa Bay’s Future
In light of these concerns, the Garitsa Grove Association demands the following:
- To designate Garitsa Bay as an area of historical memory and natural beauty.
- To legally protect the bay as a public, free, natural, and historical space.
- To halt any plans for a marina for pleasure boats or any other intervention that alters the character of the area.
- To prohibit the presence of anchored or unanchored vessels, with the exception of boats mooring at NAOK, amateur fishing boats, and a restricted channel at the Mayor’s pier for quick arrival and departure of tourist boats.
- To transform the Garitsa coastal front into a large municipal beach, open to all citizens and visitors.
- To enhance walking, mild recreation, and the daily use of the area by families, the elderly, children, and visitors.
- To immediately implement a comprehensive plan for the protection of Posidonia and the marine ecosystem.
- To finally stop the pollution from DEYAK (Corfu Water and Sewerage Company) overflows, which is visible to all and which no one can pretend does not exist.
Call to the Municipal Authority for a Clear Stance
The association calls upon the Municipal Authority to take a clear stance on several critical questions:
- Are they in favor of or against designating Garitsa Bay as an area of historical memory and natural beauty?
- Are they in favor of or against creating a large municipal beach for citizens?
- Are they in favor of or against immediately addressing pollution from DEYAK overflows?
- Are they in favor of or against the protection of Posidonia?
The Garitsa Grove Association reiterates its position: Garitsa does not need a marina. It needs protection, institutional safeguarding, free access, public dialogue, transparency, and respect for the local community. They urge the Municipal Authority to immediately proceed with the procedures for designating Garitsa Bay as an area of historical memory and natural beauty. Otherwise, they warn, the Authority will bear full responsibility if any private entity attempts to implement plans that alter the character of the area.
The Garitsa Grove and the coastal front are not commodities; they are a public good. “Garitsa will not become a marina,” the association declares. “Garitsa must become a model of protection, walking, swimming, culture, and respect for the environment. This is what we claim. This is what we propose. And for this, we will continue to fight.”
Source: Corfu TV News
