By a mere one vote, the Gouves Town Council rejected the application by the Gournes Quarries Company for the continuation of its operations in Anopoli, and Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis' proposal for a “conditional” continuation with outlined restrictive terms.

The hastily-called midday meeting (purportedly the first time ever a council meeting was held at that time), was fraught with controversy which was fuelled by what some members and attendants felt was the mayor's endorsement of the measure in his proposal.

However, Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis vehemently denied the allegations, stating that his remarks were not fully understood.

"There is no way I would approve the application as submitted by the quarry company," he said. "What I put before the council was a strongly revised measure which contained stringent restrictions and binding regulations." 

In his proposal, the mayor presented two scenarios.

"The first scenario would be the rejection of the demand, which theoretically would involve the closure of the quarry," he explained. "My reservation on this scenario is the following: In Greece, quarries don’t close easily and usually their operations are extended in various ways, as you all know, which will probably happen here.”

"The second scenario, which I consider more difficult, was investigated for some time with my collaborators and I have decided to propose it, believing that if it is supported it is a viable plan and can constitute an example of environmental management and most of all it can be beneficial to us as a demos."

The mayor's plan, in part, follows:

1. The “declared” quarry zone will have a strictly limited area up to 40 stremmata.
2. The duration of mining and merchandising up to and including a complete land restoration is fixed to 15 years.
3. All the national and European terms of environmental operation, protection and management (biggest possible reduction on explosions and noises, reduction of dust, beginning of simultaneous restoration of the landscape) will be strictly observed.
4. All the big traffic problems that are created by the quarry’s large vehicles must and will be solved (by constructing a traffic junction for entry and exit of vehicles.)
5. Continuous upkeep of roads, which suffer the pressure of the weight of the company’s vehicles.
6. Environmental terms in transport of quarry materials (truck covers, wetting, and safety of transports).
7. The quarry company and the municipality, together with its developmental company, will agree on a corporate institution for the environmental management of certain problems in the region (rubble, specialized recyclable litter and other materials). The objective will be the cleaning of these regions from rubble, in step with the recycling of the biggest part to improve the municipality’s tourist image and satisfy the demands of environmental policy and economy.

"I understand the reaction of certain residents and citizens, particularly in the Anopolis area which is particularly affected by the operation of the quarry installations and I find their protest absolutely justified," the mayor added. "However, Anopolis can have reciprocity from the municipality with work of infrastructure and re-affirmation that can improve spectacularly the existing situation."

The mayor pointed out that Skotino accepted for years to be the central dump site of the entire municipality and the people suffered the pollutant repercussions of this action with continuous fires and other consequences. The Demos closed down the site and proceeded with a program of land restoration.

"The same will happen with the quarry area in Anopolis after the expiration of mining operations," he said. "But, if we advance to the immediate closure of the quarry without a restoration program, we will have delivered the area to the wide public of contractors, wreckers, and vothros-dumpers with one more dump site on the mountain top without the possibility or the power to check them. This already has happened in all the “closed” quarries in Elia, Anopoli, and Vathia. These words do not just come out from the head of any mayor, but they are the product of a systematic study during the two preceding years."

He concluded: "We are a developing region with continuous advancement and I believe that we must think seriously about all these matters if we want to shape a better picture and a decent quality of life for the residents of our local society."