Chania: Positive environmental opinion for two hotels with 711 beds

A conditional positive environmental opinion was given by the Environmental and Spatial Planning Committee of the Crete Region for the environmental studies of two new hotel units in the Chania Regional Unit, with a combined capacity of 711 beds. The decision was taken at the Monday, 14 September 2026 session, chaired by Regional Vice Governor for the Environment Nikos Xylouri. The Committee, an advisory body of the Region, examines Environmental Impact Studies before they are forwarded to the competent licensing authority for the issuance of final approval. In total, ten projects and plans were examined, including four hotel investments across Crete, two of which concern the Chania district. At the same session, Michalis Chairetakis was unanimously elected vice-chair of the Committee for the period until 31 December 2028.

The first project concerns the construction of a new five-star hotel with a capacity of 499 beds at the “Asproulliano” location in Georgioupoli, in the Municipality of Apokoronas. The entity is the company “ANAX Hospitality Single-Person Private Capital Company” and the unit is located within a Natura 2000 network area, with the study having been submitted by the Ministry of Environment and Energy with a letter dated 4 May 2026. The second concerns the erection of a five-star hotel with a capacity of 212 beds at the Aptera location of the Municipal Community of Daratsos, in the Municipal Unit of New Kydonia of the Municipality of Chania. The body responsible for the project is “DOMES CRETE 2 Single-Person Shareholding Company”, with the study having been submitted by the Decentralised Administration of Crete with a letter dated 13 May 2026.

The two investments add to an area where hotel development remains on a strong trajectory, from Georgioupoli to the western suburbs of the city of Chania. The location of the larger project within a Natura 2000 area highlights the question of balancing tourism development and environmental protection, as the conditions accompanying the positive opinion are aimed precisely at limiting impacts on the natural environment. The two units add to the available bed capacity of the area in a period of increased demand for new accommodation infrastructure investments in western Crete. In the same session, the Committee postponed examination of another major hotel unit, Serita Beach in the Municipality of Chersonissos, with a capacity of 559 beds, showing that the pressure for new beds concerns all of Crete and not just Chania.

The positive environmental opinion of the Environmental and Spatial Planning Committee constitutes an intermediate, consultative stage of the environmental licensing process and does not itself equate to approval of environmental terms. Final decision-making authority rests with the competent body, depending on the category of the project: for the hotel in Asproulliano, the Environmental Terms Approval Decision is expected from the Ministry of Environment and Energy, while for the unit in Aptera from the Decentralised Administration of Crete. The two authorities will incorporate in their final decision the conditions set by the Committee, before the project bodies can proceed to building permits and commencement of work. The process also provides for publication of the studies and opportunity for submission of observations by citizens and bodies before finalisation of environmental terms. Until the issuance of the Environmental Approval Decision, both projects remain in the licensing stage.