Filenews 1 May 2021 - by Dora Christodoulou
The area around the central supermarket of Papantoniou, at the junction of the busy Greek and Evagora Pallikarides Avenues, is reminiscent of a huge construction site since the beginning of last week.
The closure of a large area which until recently, although a green space, served as a parking and transit area for hundreds of vehicles, the prohibition of traffic from side streets in the area and the crews going back and forth there, show that another project is in the works in the municipal area.
This time, this is not a project of regeneration or road improvements, as so many others have done in the city of Paphos over the last six years. It is the creation of a green and recreation area, which with its completion will hold the "record" of the largest urban park in Cyprus. The long-awaited "Park of Colours" has already begun to be built and soon much of the central fabric of the city will completely change its appearance, but also function.
The launch of the major project was formally and substantially marked by the signing by the Mayor of Paphos, Phaedon Phaedon, and the contractor company Mildes Neophytou of the contract for the construction of the project, total expenditure of 3.7 million euros and duration of work for nine months.
The first phase of the start of the project, as expected, causes some problems and malfunctions in businesses and residents of the area. This is what those responsible describe as inevitable, but pointing out that this is a situation that will take some time. The municipal authority and the contractor have now proceeded to close roads and accesses to the place in order to begin heavy work. This fact, although necessary for the creation of the project, is a fact that it causes financial problems for businesses in the region since in a large radius around them access is now difficult and problematic due to traffic congestion. Approach to the area by customer vehicles and pedestrians are also problematic.
"But let's look at the big picture, which is the existence from the next few months of a huge space in our city that will contribute to upgrading everyone's daily lives, improving the quality of life and ultimately attracting even more citizens to the region with the obvious benefit of businesses," said Paphos municipal councillor Panagiotis Vorkas.
The largest urban park in Cyprus, stresses Mr. Vorkas, will cover a huge part of the central fabric of the city between the avenue of Greece, the streets of the shopping centre to the district of Moutallou and includes the well-known area of Pafites of "Pebes", which was one of the most well-known green spaces of the city and which in recent decades had been degraded to an outbreak of pollution and anti-social activities.
The Park of Colours has officially entered the everyday life of the city since last July, when the "Atticon" Multispace held the award ceremony of the Architectural Competition awards announced by the municipality for the implementation of the major environmental and urban project. As part of the event, the design presentation was also presented for the first time by the team that won the First Prize.
The "Park of Colours" covers an area of 32 thousand square meters, making it the largest urban park in Cyprus and the most "rich" on the island in terms of both greenery and infrastructure. Hundreds of new trees will be planted in the Park, while it will include square assembly areas, children's playground, cafeteria, tennis court, basketball court, small football field, changing rooms, taxiway, skateboard, climbing wall 3-6 meters, management and information office, exhibition outdoor area, aromatic-botanical garden, sanitary areas, 83 parking spaces for public and disabled, service areas, main route, and entrance gates.
The proposal to name the park belongs to the Municipal Secretary of Paphos, Themi Filippidis. The "Park of Colours" was selected among other seven proposals by the plenary of the Municipal Council of Paphos. Based on the reasoning of the decision, the name of the park on the block despite the streets of Charilaou Trikoupi, Athena and Amathontos, aims to promote the value and importance of colours in everyday life.
Create and skateboard
A different aspect of the new park under construction in Paphos, has a direct connection with the young people of the city, especially those who are engaged in activities for which the infrastructure is absent from Paphos, such as skateboarding.
In November 2018, a delegation of students from the city sent the Mayor of Paphos a letter calling for the creation of a skateboard space in the city. Their request is now being implemented through the construction of the "Park of Colours", which among other infrastructures will also host a skateboard track, differentiating the initial plan of the municipal authority that provided for the construction of this track in the plots of Ahmed Rasiit.
The children's delegation had visited the mayor of Paphos and sent him the letter, signed by their classmates, requesting that their request be considered positively. Almost two years since then, fans of this impressive sport can now... warm up machines, waiting for the track in the city's new park.
"Base" of the grandiose design the "Grove of Pebes"
Known to the oldest, mainly, residents of the city and province of Paphos, "Pessos Grove", which covers the area that starts behind the central supermarket Of Papantoniou and reaches up to Charilaou Trikoupi Street, is the "base" of the grandiose design in order to create there a modern and functional park with all the necessary amenities and specifications.
In order for this design to begin to be implemented, after the award of the architectural competition, it was necessary for the Municipality of Paphos to start a huge cleaning project, since the other grove was nothing but a large outbreak of pollution, dumping and nuisance in the heart of Paphos.
Panagiotis Vorkas points out to "F" that during the cleaning work, tons of garbage were found and removed, as well as arbitrary rubbish and waste materials. "And this, since the area had been left in abandonment and desolation for at least the last 50 years," he said characteristically, "which caused serious risks to public health, but also a possible outbreak of fire in the heart of the city." For days, crews of the Municipality carried out cleaning work in the well-known "Pesbes Grove". It is characteristic of the objections and "conspiracies" that were originally developed, observes the municipal councillor Paphos, that the work had to be carried out in the presence of officials of the Department of Forests, in order to avoid problems.
