THE MASTER PLAN FOR MACKENZIE'S TIDYING UP IS READY - HOW THE ACTION PLAN PUTS ORDER IN BUILDING ANARCHY - AT THE CENTER OF ILLEGALITIES - Filenews 14/8 by Natasa Christoforou
The cosmopolitan Mackenzie Coast in Larnaca will enter a new era, since within the next two years the most decisive step is expected to be taken for the radical transformation of the area, through the removal of blatant illegalities and the regeneration of public spaces. This will be achieved when the single master plan of the area is implemented, which is ready and is soon expected to be brought for approval before the Council of Ministers, as reported to "F" by the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service, which also cited data from the revenues of hundreds of thousands of euros, which it now collects annually from rents.
The unified master plan, included in the Action Plan for Mackenzie implemented by the Ministry of the Interior two years ago, aspires to put in order the urban planning and building anarchy that prevails in the area, in which there are decades of illegalities, while no recreation center has the required permits (urban planning and building).
According to information, in the master plan, prepared by the Department of Urban Planning and Housing, there are clear specifications for the pedestrian street in front of the recreation centers, on which tables, chairs, and flower beds are currently placed, preventing the unhindered passage of pedestrians.
There are clear guidelines for the entire network of public pedestrian streets, for the green spaces and the interventions allowed in it, but also for the height and width of the recreation centers. In order for a recreation center to receive the required permits from the Larnaca District Self-Government Organization (EOAL), it must demolish the arbitrary interventions and comply with the limits set.
"On this issue, a meeting was recently held between the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service and the Department of Urban Planning and Housing, where the master plan was discussed, which will include, among other things, the required actions that the competent services and tenants should take to remove the illegalities and the consequent licensing of the premises by the EOAL, within a set deadline of two years or otherwise, as specified in the relevant lease agreement, if the contract concerns a vacant plot", the director of the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service, Anthi Lakkotrypi, told our newspaper, noting that the master plan "will be approved soon by the Council of Ministers, for immediate implementation".
As Ms. Lakkotrypi explained, the Municipality of Larnaca will also gain significant financial benefits from the implementation of the master plan, since it allows it to grant limited spaces, in front of the recreation centers, in which most illegalities are located.
"We are interested in two pillars. The legitimacy and tidying up of Mackenzie, but also the maintenance of his competitiveness. That is why it is important to approve the master plan so that we can put pressure on the owners of the recreation centers together with the EOAL to comply, with a timetable of one to two years", said, for his part, the mayor of Larnaca, Andreas Vyras. He also noted that soon the Municipality of Larnaca will announce a tender for the study of the beautification of the public spaces of the Mackenzie Coast. "We want a project to mature that will improve the public space, the paving and the lighting," he noted.
€760,000 is put annually into the fund of the Guardian of Turkish Cypriot properties
The first important step of the Action Plan of the Ministry of the Interior included the clearing of the ownership of the recreation centers and the determination of rent. This need arose from the fact that several of the original beneficiary refugees proceeded to sublease the gold-bearing properties. Until 2016, the Municipality of Larnaca, to which the area had been leased, collected paltry amounts as rents and then terminated the contracts and the Guardian of Turkish Cypriot properties took over the management. The issue remained, however, pending for many years, as a result of which some people got rich and the Guardian lost many millions of euros.
According to the data provided to "F", so far 11 lease agreements have been signed with beneficiary refugees from a total of 17 premises/open spaces, as well as the lease agreement with the Municipality of Larnaca for the parking space. Now, €760,000 enters the Guardian's coffers annually. "No lease contracts were given to non-refugees and the issue of signing the new contracts was delayed because measures are being taken to recover those holders who were asked to sign and did not accept, a process that causes a delay," Ms. Lakkotrypi clarified.
The goal of the Service, as he said, is to sign 3 more contracts by the end of this year, which will yield another €230,000 per year. "There are 3 properties (abandoned buildings) left, for which recovery measures are being taken by the Service, so that they can be disposed of through bidding tenders, with a total minimum budgeted revenue (if it is disposal through auctions) of €255,000 per year," he noted, adding that with the completion of the disposal of all 17 plots, the revenues will be around €1.5 million. per year. "Of paramount importance for the Service is first and foremost the restoration of legality in the area in every aspect. At the same time, our goal is to increase the revenues of the Guardian's fund, with the aim of allocating them to other strategic programs implemented by the Service, mainly related to the repairs of refugee homes. It is known that, before the elaboration of the Action Plan for the Mackenzie Coast in the year 2024, the Guardian lost many millions of euros, while some were getting rich from the management or subleasing of recreation centers and open parking spaces", underlined Ms. Lakkotrypi.
€81,000 per year from the first tender
Recently, the evaluation in relation to the first tender announced by the Service for a vacant plot, which until recently was illegally used as a parking lot, was completed. This is the area between the ZAKOS restaurant and the ammos beach bar, in which the successful bidder, who is a refugee, is expected to build a premises.
The market rent was set at €78,000 per year and was based on an estimate by the Land Registry Department. However, there was a higher bid (€81,000 per year) and an award will be made soon. As far as the rents of the other properties are concerned, at this stage they are lower and there is a provision to increase them over a period of six years, in order to reflect the market rent of the area.
It is noted that the entire area, which is Turkish Cypriot, has been designated as Special Administration. For this reason, non-refugees are also allowed, under conditions, to take part in the tenders. Specifically, the first time a tender is announced, someone who is a refugee can submit a bid. If there is no interest, then a second announcement is made and again only for refugees. If the procedure is not successful the second time, then a non-refugee can also submit an offer in the third notice.
