Filenews 2 February 2021 - byVasos Vassiliou
Voices of citizens even for the arrest of Archbishop Chrysostomos II for the illegal demolition of four listed buildings, next to the Archdiocese and the Cathedral, were heard after the crime that took place yesterday on his own instructions. The ETEK, the municipality and municipal councillors raise the issue of the cancellation of the permit issued for the construction of the cathedral, since the maintenance and restoration of the buildings that were demolished under the instructions of Makariotos had been included in the whole project.
At the same time, both the ETEK and the Municipality as well as municipal councillors stress that a reconstruction of the listed buildings should be imposed. The issue of the restoration of the buildings was raised by the mayor of Nicosia himself, while stressing that they were "demolished without even asking for a demolition permit", which shows that the aim was to create fait accompli. One of the buildings is listed as the year of construction in 1927.
The view after the demolition of the buildings may also reveal one of the reasons for the demolition, since for the first time the Cathedral is so visibly revealed that they "hid" the preserved. Moreover, the demolition for reasons of danger does not seem to be valid and some suggest that his majesty attempted to avoid the cost of maintenance and restoration of the buildings.
However, the comments that followed the initial publication in Associated Press were highly critical of the Archbishop, who went too far. Yesterday's action was the drop that overflowed the glass and the reactions do not seem to be easily swallowed up. The justification given was that some of the buildings were dangerous, which was not put before the municipality in order to take measures to support them if the Archbishop did not wish to do so. However, the impression created is that risk was a pretext for implementing a pre-made decision.
Among the first to go were officials of the Municipality of Nicosia, who put the contractors before their responsibilities by officially informing them that what was committed was illegal. In fact, having regard to the provisions of the legislation on the restoration of buildings, they instructed the contractor not to remove the materials.
Among the first to go on the ground was the president of the ETEK Konstantinos Konstantis, who expressed to "F" his indignation. He wondered if there was an Authority in the Republic which would stop the Archbishop from committing arbitrariness relating to criminal offences.
The Chamber called on the mayor and the relevant services to take the necessary steps to restore the buildings. The ETEK also stresses the need to impose the penalties provided for in the legislation.
In a statement, Nicosia Mayor Konstantinos Giorgis said that "there was no request for demolition nor was the municipality aware of this intention".
As stated in the mayor's statement, there was subsequent information that one of the premises was dangerous, but this is still being investigated by the municipality's office and has not been confirmed. According to the mayor, the Municipal Engineer has sent a letter to the Holy Archdiocese stating that the demolition of the preserved buildings was done arbitrarily and illegally.
The Engineer's letter also states that this action removes the conditions under which permits for the construction of the Cathedral were issued and the permits mentioned are called into question.
"The Municipal Engineer, taking into account the above and in accordance with the decision of the Municipal Council dated 2-3-95 (decision based on the provisions of Article 46(3)(b) of the Planning and Spatial Planning Act for the "restoration or restoration of a traditional building that was illegally modified or demolished") called on the owners to immediately restore the mentioned buildings.
"It's not his tsifliki"
Condemnations for the Archbishop issued by the ACPL and the Movement of Ecologists-Citizens' Cooperation, calling for the restoration of the buildings. The ACPL indicates that the cultural heritage of Cyprus is not a tsifliki of the Archbishop and recalls that he committed himself to the Municipality of Nicosia to preserve the buildings. "This commitment was the alibi for the majority of the City Council to grant permission to build the Cathedral," the statement added. The Ecologists' Movement regards the demolition as an attack on civilization and adds that "unfortunately once again we witnessed arbitrary actions of the Archbishop". The ACPL Municipal Group also calls for the City Council to be convened on an exceptional basis to take all measures with a view to the complete restoration of the listed buildings, as provided for in the relevant legislation.
