The second largest village in the municipality of Platanias at Hania, western Crete, will be “artificial.”
A few days ago the state approved the development of a tourism village, which will include 830 villas, two hotels, a marina, a helipad, a small golf course, and even a kind of cable car due to the slopes on the “plot.”
In fact, the plan has been recorded as a strategic investment and makes use of favorable urban planning legislation, thanks to which, among other things, the area acquired permission for construction and has been urbanized.
Costa Nopia, as the project is called, will be developed based on a Special Strategic Investment Spatial Development Plan (ESCHASE), which was approved at the end of June. It belongs to the company Cretan Sun and Sea Developments, one of the 65 subsidiaries of the Leptos Group, which belongs to Cypriot businessmen George and Pantelis Leptos.
The project occupies an area of approximately 1.1 square kilometers and is located in the municipality of Platanias in Hania, on the border with the municipality of Kissamos.
According to the study, the area will be divided into 13 “neighborhoods” and will include approximately 830 tourism residences. It is worth noting that, according to the 2011 building census (the 2021 census is still unknown), only Platanias and Kissamos have more houses in the area, while the remaining villages of the two municipalities are considerably smaller. It will also include two hotels (600 beds in total) and other tourist accommodations.
Up to 3,500 people will live permanently or seasonally in the tourist village, while up to 560 people will stay in the accommodation facilities. Approximately 5% of the 360 employees will also live in the area. Therefore, the total “population” of Costa Nopia will be approximately 4,700 people. The facility will include a nine-hole golf course and a marina.
The area also incorporates two small forest sections, of 7,000 and 15,000 square meters, 10% of which will be used (as permitted by the preferential legislation for the special development plan) as a supplement to the tourist facilities.
