ASTYPALAIA, GREECE – A massive luxury resort project on the tiny Aegean island of Astypalaia that would occupy 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) or about one-sixth of the land mass shouldn’t be allowed to built, a citizens group said an open letter to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

While the government said it would try to deal with overtourism that’s overwhelming some popular islands and straining infrastructure and ruining their character it’s also trying to get as many foreign investors as possible, especially building high-end resorts.

The approval by the Central Urban Council  for the tourist village with villas and hotels so big it exceeds the two largest settlements led to the island’s local council opposing it only to be ignored by the state which has jurisdiction over municipalities.

The Movement of Active Citizens and Friends of Astypalaia” comprised of local residents and business owners, said the project  argues that the project “contradicts the spirit of the 2002 Presidential decree, which established specific restrictions to protect the island’s natural environment from unchecked development.”

It also said the proposal “ which includes large-scale tourism development, constitutes a significant alteration of the natural landscape and risks distorting the island’s character, but while getting Central Council approval it doesn’t have government support yet.

Nicholas Papalios, owner of Vantage Shipping Lines, who is the investor behind the project said he won’t proceed if locals object. “If the island doesn’t want it, I’ll sell it,” he told Kathimerini, which won’t stop it, only put it in the hands of a new owner.

He said the two tourist accommodation complexes he plans to build will not have 250 but 35-40 large villas and his goal is to bolster sectors such as agriculture and livestock farming on the island that has soared in interest by builders.