Apokoronas Council Fixes Souri Village Boundary After 35-Year Confusion
Residents and property owners in the Souri settlement near Sellia can finally expect clarity on where their village officially begins and ends. The Municipal Council of Apokoronas voted unanimously on November 22, 2024 to resolve a long-standing contradiction in the village's official boundary maps — a discrepancy that had left part of the settlement in a legal grey zone for more than three decades.
How Did the Problem Start?
The Souri settlement belongs to the Vamos municipal unit and sits within the Sellia community area. Back in 1989, the then-regional authority formally defined the village boundaries. However, the document contained an internal conflict: the written text description of the boundary and the graphic map attached to the same document did not agree with each other at three specific points along the boundary line.
This was not a minor clerical issue. Because of the mismatch, a portion of the actual built-up area of Souri — the so-called "scattered" section of the settlement — appeared to fall outside the village boundary when the written text was applied. For property owners in that area, this ambiguity could affect planning permissions, building licences, and other dealings with the authorities.
What the Council Decided
The matter was brought to the council's attention through a formal request by a local resident. A licensed topographic engineer, Nikolaos Pothoulakas, was commissioned to produce a technical report and a new survey of the disputed boundary section.
The engineer's report concluded that, in this specific case, the written description could not be applied as written, because doing so would leave part of the genuine settlement area outside the village. The graphic boundary shown on the original 1989 map — when interpreted correctly — kept all developed land within the settlement. Cadastral records also aligned with the graphic version of the boundary.
To reach this conclusion, the engineer examined historical aerial photographs taken by the Greek Army Geographic Service in 1979, 1989, and 1994.
The council, after discussion, accepted the report's findings and voted unanimously to declare the graphic boundary as the legally binding one going forward.
Who Is Affected?
The decision directly concerns property owners and residents in the scattered section of Souri — the part of the settlement where the three disputed boundary points are located. If you own land or a property in this area, the council's decision may clarify your status under local planning rules. It is worth checking whether any ongoing or future applications are affected.
What Happens Next?
The council's decision must now be communicated to the relevant planning and land registry authorities to be formally incorporated into official records. There is no immediate obligation for residents to take action. However, property owners with specific questions about how this affects their plots are encouraged to contact the Apokoronas Municipal Technical Service.
The full topographic report and the supporting technical documentation are available to download from the municipality's official website.