Filenews 25 February 2023 - by Natasha Christoforou
After Zouhouri Square and the Municipal Market, which will open on March 4, Larnaca Municipality is promoting in 2023, the launch of two more major projects that will radically change the image of the city centre and revitalize the shopping centre, in which many shops have recently closed.
The first project is the start of the second phase of "road regeneration and facilitation of people with disabilities". All the streets in the shopping centre will be paved with the project being done according to the standards of Stasikratous Street in Nicosia. Specifically, there will be a reconstruction of the part of Ermou Street that is not paved, as well as of Zenonos Kitieos, D. N. Demetriou, Nikolaos Rossou, Kosmas Lysioti, Nikolaos Lanitis, Mitsi, Evanthias Pieridou, Filiou Zanetou and Evriviadou streets.
All asphalt layers and concrete slabs on these roads will be removed and paving stones and slabs of natural rocks will be placed, both in the traffic lane and throughout the new sidewalks, which will be significantly widened and unified at the same level with the vehicle lane, which will stand out with technical obstacles.
In the streets that will be formed, urban equipment and modern street lighting will be placed, which in large parts of Ermou and Zenonos Kitieos streets will be combined with shades and planting large trees, in order to upgrade aesthetics.
The aim of the Municipality of Larnaca is to also achieve a reduction in noise pollution and the emission of gaseous pollutants and dust. The mall, in essence, will be transformed from a space that mainly supports motor vehicles, to a space that promotes the movement of pedestrians, bicycles and people with disabilities, making it fully accessible to everyone.
The second major project is the redevelopment of the historic squares of Acropolis and Alki, which will be connected to the shopping centre. The study includes works in addition to the Acropolis and Alkis squares and in parts of Ermou, Konstantinou Kalogera, Gladstonos, Louki Akrita and Orfeos streets. According to the plan, the two squares will have a single square space. In the area, the sidewalks will be enlarged, unified urban lighting with mast lights will be installed, benches and flower beds will be installed, while new parking spaces will be created even for electric cars.
The estimated cost of the two projects, which are expected to be co-financed by the EU, is around €10 million.
As the mayor of Larnaca, Andreas Vyras, told "F", the tenders for the two projects will be announced during the summer, the works are expected to start in the autumn and the time it will take for their implementation is two years. "Larnaka Municipality will do everything in its power to develop the historic shopping centre. The new projects will radically change the image of the centre, which will become even more attractive for people to visit."
