Battle over land use in Corfu: Tourism, Development, and Carrying Capacity
ATHENS. Debate has already begun over the island’s carrying capacity, unplanned development, and major investments, as local stakeholders seek to shape the final decisions before the relevant decrees are officially published.
Corfu is at the centre of one of the most significant spatial planning conflicts currently unfolding in the Greek island region, as the new Special Spatial Framework for Tourism and the Local Urban Planning Schemes are expected to decisively shape the future of construction, investment, and tourism development on the island.
The new Special Spatial Framework for Tourism was presented by the Ministries of Environment and Tourism in the summer of 2024 and was opened to public consultation together with the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment. The process began on July 3, 2024, and concluded — following an extension — on September 25 of the same year. To date, however, neither the final Presidential Decree nor the implementing Government Gazette has been issued, meaning that the plan remains open to amendments before its formal adoption.
Corfu is regarded as a characteristic example of a mature — or even overloaded — tourism destination. Although no final binding map by area has yet been published, the island’s northern and eastern coastal zones are being treated as high-pressure areas due to the concentration of tourist beds, increased construction activity, traffic congestion, and infrastructure problems.
A central concept of the new planning framework is “carrying capacity,” meaning the limits of a region’s ability to withstand tourism pressure. In Corfu, chronic waste-management difficulties, water-supply problems, and out-of-plan tourism-related construction are cited as indications that the island has already approached — or exceeded — its limits of resilience.
The potential consequences of implementing the new spatial framework are considered significant. If large areas are designated as zones of high tourism pressure, stricter licensing requirements for new tourism facilities are expected, especially for out-of-plan developments, along with tougher environmental requirements and restrictions in coastal and protected areas. The model being promoted places greater emphasis on upgrading existing infrastructure rather than continuously increasing the number of new tourist beds.
The plan has already triggered reactions from the Ionian Islands Regional Authority, local stakeholders, sections of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), and environmental groups. They argue that, despite the rhetoric surrounding carrying capacity, the new framework leaves the door open for large-scale investments through special planning tools such as ESCHASE schemes and strategic investments, without establishing clear upper limits on tourism development.
At the same time, work continues on the Local Urban Planning Schemes, which will determine land uses and building regulations at the local level.
GIORGOS KATSAITIS
