Latchi hotel permit issued despite documented illegalities

A building permit for a major hotel development in Latchi was issued despite findings of illegal construction, prompting renewed scrutiny of decisions taken by the Paphos district government.

The permit concerns the Leonardo Club Latchi, a large seaside hotel built on the former Elias Latchi holiday village site, where construction advanced for months without the required approvals.

The project includes unauthorised additions and deviations from the approved planning framework, issues that had earlier led the then licensing head, Iraklis Achniotis, to refuse to sign off on the permit.

The licence was ultimately approved by the current licensing director, Konstantinos Portides, shortly after assuming his post.

His predecessor had identified what were described as “serious and ongoing breaches of urban planning law”, that in similar cases would require works to stop and illegal structures to be demolished.

Achniotis had been serving in an acting capacity following the departure of Eliza Lamprianidou and was understood to be considering a permanent move to Paphos.

However, amid what were described as sustained pressures linked to the pending permit, he withdrew his interest in the post and returned to his substantive position in Nicosia.

According to information placed before authorities, he was unwilling to approve the permit “as long as the project remained in breach of the planning framework”.

By the time the permit was issued, the hotel appeared largely complete.

Images taken of the site show finished structures, raising questions about whether construction continued while approvals remained outstanding.

Officials have been asked to explain why enforcement measures were not taken at earlier stages and why the project was effectively regularised after the fact.

The Leonardo Club Latchi forms part of a €55 million investment by Fattal Hotel Group, Israel’s largest hotel operator, which is expanding its presence in Cyprus under the Leonardo brand.

The group plans to operate the resort as a 240-room family hotel with water park facilities, increasing bed capacity in an environmentally sensitive area at the entrance to Latchi.

Planning files indicate that amendments to earlier permits allowed additional floors to be added to several accommodation blocks, changes that critics argue retrospectively legalised earlier violations.

The development is located near the coast, where density, height and environmental controls are intended to be strictly applied.

Local concern has focused on what residents describe as a dangerous precedent.

“Issuing permits after the violations rewards lawbreaking and undermines confidence in the planning system,” one official familiar with the case said.

Others warn that unchecked development risks altering the character of Latchi, a harbour area long regarded as one of the last undeveloped areas of the Paphos district.