Filenews 28 June 2022 - byAngelos Nicolaou
With summary procedures that lasted less than a month and after a visit to the site, the Environmental Authority with a reasoned finding does not object to the issuance of planning permission for the construction and operation of the American University of Beirut in the Municipality of Paphos.
The proposed project concerns the construction of a School of Higher Education, with a total number of 1,200 students. It also includes outdoor parking, sports courts, landscaping and green spaces.
According to the Land Use Map of the Paphos Local Plan, the direct study area falls under the residential development, while the area where the stadiums will be built falls within a zone of land.
According to the Environmental Authority, the effects of the operation of the project with the proposed mitigation measures will be manageable.
The American University of Beirut will operate from the academic year 2023-2024. The investment of the facilities amounts to €29 million, while the construction works are expected to begin immediately, in the area of the Carob Mills. The goal is to integrate the first first first-year students in September 2023.
The University will bear the name American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo. This University, which operates according to American standards, will initially operate three Faculties in the fields of Computer Science, Economy and Business and the School of Civil Engineering, with the aim of hosting more than 2,000 students in the coming years.
For the needs of the university, a parking space of 231 spaces will be built. The university will also have sports facilities which will include two basketball courts, a small football field, two tennis courts and a track and field runway.
It is noted that the building of the Carob Mills, which existed in the area of construction of the classrooms, was a historical and industrial building that has not been declared as a listed building. From this building will remain its stone facades.
