Residents and local groups marched outside RAF Akrotiri on Saturday to protest plans for a major expansion of military antenna infrastructure, citing concerns over potential health, safety and environmental effects.

The march was organised by Kourion municipality and began at 9.30am from the first entrance to the Akrotiri municipal district before proceeding towards the British bases.

Kourion mayor Pantelis Georgiou said the protest was not directed against the British people but concerned the rights of residents.

“This is not about rivalry with a people but about love for our country,” Georgiou said.

The municipality has raised concerns over the scale of the proposed infrastructure.

Georgiou previously said local authorities had initially been informed that 20 antennas would be installed while 18 existing antennas would be removed.

They were later told that 68 antennas would be installed during the first phase, followed by another 68.

The municipality has also requested updated information on radiation emissions and further independent monitoring.

 Georgiou said existing measurements had shown levels within legal limits.

Deputy mayor of Akrotiri Giorgos Konstantinou said the protest should send a message to the British bases “that we do not negotiate, neither our health, nor our property, nor the environment”.

Protesters marched towards the entrance to the British bases carrying placards including “No to the antennas of death” and “Our health is not negotiable”.

Georgiou subsequently delivered a resolution to a British bases’ representative expressing the municipality’s “categorical opposition” to the installation and operation of what it described as spy antennas and other military infrastructure in Akrotiri.

The resolution said further militarisation of the area, particularly amid heightened international tensions, raised concerns over “security, peace and stability”.

Environmental organisations Terra Cypria and BirdLife Cyprus have further raised concerns, pointing to the ecological importance of the area and scientific studies recording bird deaths and collisions involving existing antenna infrastructure.

The Akrotiri salt lake is protected under the Ramsar Convention and the Natura 2000 network, while the wider peninsula is an important migration corridor for birds in the Levant.

The organisations, which are participating in the consultation, have called for the project’s assessment to be “scientifically substantiated” and compliant with environmental legislation.

The British bases administration has said it is “committed to ensuring that this project is delivered responsibly” and in cooperation with local authorities and communities.