‘All concerns’ will be taken into account over Limassol’s Lady’s Mile

Limassol municipality will consider all concerns before proceeding with the €6 million redevelopment of the Lady’s Mile road in the sensitive area of Akrotiri, the city’s mayor Nicos Nicolaides said during a public presentation of the project.

Consultants presented the municipality’s proposal plan and the environmental impact assessment study on Wednesday afternoon at the Panos Solomonides cultural centre.

It will later be submitted to the environment department.

“The protection of the biodiversity of the area is one of the main objectives of the revamp, but also a basic legal obligation of the Republic of Cyprus, which has ratified two relevant international conventions,” Nicolaides said.

He added that very strict environmental criteria have been set in the design of the project, which recognise the country’s legal obligations, but also all the environmental issues concerning the Lady’s Mile area.

And no work will be carried out unless stakeholders reach a common consensus, the mayor said after some attendees expressed concern about the proposed interventions. They said the new paved road will result in increased traffic in the environmentally sensitive area.

The project “requires solutions and approaches commensurate with the great environmental value of the area”, Nicolaides added.

The current proposal includes the reconstruction of the 6 km long road from pervious concrete and the construction of sidewalks and a cycle path as well as the creation of 24 parking spaces. It also provides for the construction of paths to adjacent areas using environmentally friendly materials, fencing along the road to close access to the salt marshes, utilities infrastructure such as toilets and changing rooms, three roundabouts, as well as the upgrading of lighting and electricity services and landscaping.

The completion time for the redevelopment is estimated at 24 months from the date of commencement, assuming no delays, with the total cost estimated at €6 million.

But “the project will not go ahead unless there is a strong mass agreement with all stakeholders, local authorities, environmental organisations etc,” the mayor said, noting that everyone should look at “the big picture” and the two options available.

“Either we leave things as they are today, continuing in an uncontrolled manner, or we do something to stop the status quo and provide a serious service to the area,” he said.

He called on the planners to take the views recorded seriously and stressed that “for the Limassol Municipality, which has undertaken this obligation, the Lady’s Mile issue is sacred and therefore we do not want to take any step before we are sure where we are treading.”

The redevelopment of Lady’s Mile dates back more than a decade. The Limassol municipality took over the project about two years ago after the completion of the environmental impact study.