A "tiny" spot in Llaman Bay, with an area of 101,200 square meters, will be concreted. VoxNews has exclusively obtained the project documents, which are being developed by two businessmen Arben Muçobega and Redjan Basha.
With extremely suspicious actions and documents, given that the area is entirely rocky, they have managed to convince the government and especially former Minister of the Environment Mirela Kumbaro, who has also signed the development permit.
For many years, businessman Arben Muçobega has continued to exploit the entire Llaman Bay, building luxurious bars and restaurants in one of the most beautiful bays of the Ionian Sea, between Himara and Porto Palermo.
Muçobega has repeatedly obtained permission to use the beach, while also publishing projects that transform the entire Llaman area into a personal resort, without any access to the sea for ordinary citizens.
Meanwhile, alongside this project, Muçobega also set his sights on the hill next to Llamani Bay. It is a rocky hill, which normally should not have an owner since it is unusable and completely in close proximity and with a steep slope towards the Ionian Sea. But, as in any beautiful place, perhaps that rocky area has also turned out to be the owner's "grandfather's breadbasket".
Development permit issued by AZHT, for the "Amantes" project, on the hill next to Llamani Bay
Time passed and, as the entire southern coast is filling up with resorts, Muçobega has quickly prepared the documents to acquire that “tiny” spot. VoxNews has exclusively obtained dozens of documents from the project that is destroying one of the most beautiful areas of Albania, detailing that the spot has an area of 101,200 square meters.
The development permit was signed quickly before the last parliamentary elections, even by Mirela Kumbaro, the Minister of Environment who knows these “tiny” points well. With a sudden decision and a terrible backstage, given that that area was deliberately left outside the protected area, Kumbaro has signed another document of alienation and destruction, after the Monastery Bay in Saranda.
Mirela Kumbaro
Who are the beneficiaries of this permit? According to documents available to VoxNews, the government has approved the development permit for the "Amantes" project, in the Municipality of Himara, a "multifunctional resort, hotel, villas and services with the construction companies 'Capital B' and 'Bega 07'".
The Capital B company is owned by Redjan Basha, while the Bega 07 company is owned by businessman Arben Muçobega.
In the documents that VoxNews has researched, it is written that the "Amantes" project has been evaluated and treated by taking into account all aspects such as strategic, construction, social, economic and environmental. "The 5-star resort project 'Amentes' will be developed in the area of Llamani beach, bordering Himara beach, in the Himara Municipality, which is located in the southwestern part of Albania," the development permit states.
According to her, the “Amantes” resort is located on the hill next to Llamani beach. “The resort’s construction site has an area of 101,200 square meters with direct access to the rocky beach of the Ionian Sea, offering a stunning view of the sea for all vacationers and visitors to the resort,” the permit states.
It then continues with clichéd sentences, such as "the project in question pledges to preserve and respect its development area, taking into consideration all the natural elements of the area."
"The existing landscape has a sloping topography that extends from the hilltop to the sea, offering impressive paths and views. By interrupting the scale of the intervention, nature can permeate the architecture and integrate with it. As a result of this functional solution, architecture and nature become one," the document continues.
The documents state that the property is currently empty and unused, but in its lowest part, near Llamani beach, there are several low-rise buildings, mainly 2-3 stories high. These buildings are buildings that serve the function of summer coastal tourism.
VoxNews has learned that Arben Muçobega has done all the construction in that area, turning Llamani Bay into private property. He even easily obtains permits from state institutions, such as beach permits or placement of structures, and then sells these permits to other firms.
"All construction in the area was done after 2000. Until that period, not only the property, but the entire area included here and the coastline was undeveloped," the document states.
It is learned that the resort will include a luxury hotel, villas, apartments and an intermediate commercial area, including restaurants, wellness spaces and community areas that enhance the tourist experience.
"The goal of the project is to create accommodating spaces for housing and hospitality, creating the feeling of an inviting locality. For this, several positions have been identified along the hill that will offer various services and will function as areas for community gathering, socializing, and spending quality time," the document continues.
It further states that the villas follow a “stackingstone” concept, designed to minimize excavation and preserve the topography of the hill. “The master plan envisages 50 villas distributed on the site in clusters of 2 or 3 villas. All these clusters include 1 large villa (or 2 large villas in the case of clusters of 3) and 1 small villa,” the document states.
In July 2022, the government adopted a decision to declare the Porto-Palermo Bay a natural marine-coastal ecosystem. The decision states that the natural park has a total area of 1,694 hectares, of which 1,490 hectares or 87.93% are marine areas and only 204 hectares or 12.07% are land areas.
If you look at the map, the land area is only the sand and some rocks, as well as the castle that is located in that area, on a small island. With this decision, the entire remaining land area was left outside the protected area, which is practically Porto Palermo or even the Bay of Llamani. A decision that also paved the way for construction or alienation of the entire area. A scheme used in other, highly protected places, with the aim of allowing construction and concrete.
A study was conducted by the Ministry of Environment itself, which included the Llamani Bay in the park, but also a huge area of land in Porto Palermo. Intentionally or unintentionally, like the Llamani Bay, the former military base of Porto Palermo, under which there are underwater tunnels where the military fleet was located, have been left out of the park. This is in order to build resorts in that area.
It seems like a highly controversial decision again, after the former military bases in Saranda and Shëngjin, whose alienation by the Ministry of Defense is under investigation by the Special Prosecution. Will this decision by Minister Kumbaro suffer the same fate?!
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