The Department of Antiquities clarifies in the most official way that not only does it disagree with the placement of the metal boxes that have been placed for commercial purposes in the land area of the port of Kato Paphos, but also that its negative position was not taken into account by the municipal authority when proceeding with this construction.
A relevant letter from the Department of Antiquities was sent to the Environmental Cultural Association of Chloraka, which undertook a campaign to remove these constructions from the port. The Club, in a relevant letter to the Department of Antiquities and the Municipality of Paphos, expressed strong concern and indignation about the massive metal structures that have been placed and remain in the historical site of the port of Kato Paphos, opposite the ancient Castle.
These constructions seriously alter the special character of a sensitive area, which is a point of reference for the cultural identity of Paphos and Cyprus in general. It is a site that has emerged internationally through its cultural value and unique aesthetic physiognomy, points out the Environmental Cultural Association of Chloraka, a position with which the competent Department of Antiquities now officially proves to agree.
In the response letter to the group, the state department points out that the site is an ancient monument and falls under the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Zone. The metal structures on the waterfront, the letter states, were placed without the prior necessary consultation of the municipal authorities with the Department of Antiquities. The Department's objections were not taken into account, except as some minor amendments.
Therefore, the Department of Antiquities concludes, the competent state department is in favour of the removal of these metal structures in order to restore the site to its previous state and restore its traditional character.
Following this revelation, the Environmental Cultural Association of Chlorakas, in a letter to the Municipality of Paphos, emphasizes that these "iron boxes" which have essentially been turned into makeshift dining areas create an image of complete incompatibility with the environment of the area. They have hidden the appearance of traditional buildings, have limited the open public space and have turned an elegant urban area into a suffocatingly structured space without aesthetic coherence.
We are constantly receiving complaints from citizens of Paphos and visitors to the city, who express wonder and dissatisfaction about the specific interventions, the letter states. Tourists visiting the harbour and the Castle wonder how such structures were allowed to be placed in such a historic and emblematic site.
We consider that the responsibility of both the Municipality of Paphos and the competent urban planning authorities, which allowed this alteration of the picturesque front of Kato Paphos, is great, says the group and asks for their removal, the restoration of the public space and the aesthetic physiognomy of the port and the preservation and protection of the traditional and historical character of the area.
The protection of the historical and cultural physiognomy of Paphos is the responsibility of all of us and cannot be sacrificed with makeshift and aesthetically incompatible interventions in the name of economic profit, the Group concludes.
