A proposed new quarry in Androlikou would inflict “irreversible damage on one of Cyprus’ most environmentally sensitive areas”, the federation of environmental NGOs (Opok) warned on Wednesday, calling for all further licensing in the area to be suspended.

The organisation said a special ecological assessment prepared by the environment department for the project underestimated the impact of extending quarrying activity next to the Androlikou Gorge, despite concerns raised during the consultation process.

According to Opok, the “extraction of 900,000 cubic metres of limestone, using 315,000 kilograms of explosives over a period of two to three years, and even within a stone’s throw of the gorge, will leave nothing standing”.

It argued that the proposed site should instead be designated as a buffer zone for the Androlikou Gorge because of its environmental importance.

The federation said the project would require the complete removal of all plants, including some 2,400 trees, alongside extensive blasting operations.

It cautioned this would result in “intense and irreversible change in the natural landscape and loss of important habitats” in an area already heavily affected by quarrying.

Although presented as a new quarry, Opok said the proposed development directly adjoins the existing quarry zone and forms part of the same wider mining activity.

It also claimed that around 31 per cent of the proposed site had already been quarried without the necessary permits.

The organisation said the area contains habitats protected under the Natura 2000 network as part of the Akamas peninsula conservation area.

The proposal revives a dispute which has continued for several years between quarry operators and environmental groups.

Quarry companies have consistently argued that existing reserves in Androlikou are becoming exhausted and that additional extraction is needed to supply construction materials for major infrastructure projects in Paphos.

Environmental organisations, however, have consistently opposed further expansion, arguing that previous quarrying has already caused significant ecological damage and that new extraction sites should be identified outside protected areas.