Filenews 22 October 2021 - by Dora Christodoulou
The universal changes and differentiations of recent years in the historical and commercial centre of Pafos, had in terms of thoughts and initial plans included a category of businesses that were constantly at the heart of the discussion for their movement from the centre, but which due to the difficulties of implementing the planning remained there for decades. The reason for the petrol stations that are concentrated along Evagoras Pallikaridis avenue, a stone's throw from the central square of the city and the shopping centre. However, despite the universal changes and aesthetic improvements that occurred in the region, the thought that existed for the movement of fuel stations remains as such, since it was judged "on paper" that the conditions are far from ripe for a project of this magnitude and practical difficulties.
According to the information of "F", the whole effort has now been abandoned, since it was found that only one case had essentially practical possibilities of effect. In all other cases, for different reasons in each of them, the difficulties were such that they made it impossible to promote any designs.
Having said that, although the officials of the Municipality of Pafos continue to recognize that it is more than ever necessary and possible to move the gas stations out of the centre, so that the redevelopment of the area has a "practical impact" on these blocks, the whole effort is referred once again in the long run.
"The aim of course was not to close the businesses and leave without work the people who work there", stress the municipal lords, "but to move these businesses to other parts of the city. In the centre, a project has been created that will not exist in Cyprus and it is not conceivable that petrol stations will continue to be part of it.
The entrepreneurs in the sector themselves, however, respondents from PafosNet for these plans argued that in essence they themselves had never been part of any consultation on movement and consider that it is impossible in the current context to consider such a change possible.
