The Cyprus Ports Authority’s announcements on developments to Larnaca’s port, marina and land areas have sparked mixed reactions in the city.
The Ports Authority presented a roadmap of projects worth 415 million euros (plus or minus 50%) over a 20-year period for the two infrastructures and the land areas, which also includes unifying the Foinikoudes seafront with the area of the former refineries.
The Ports Authority’s ambitious proposal includes many of the requests made by Larnaca stakeholders, particularly regarding land area developments. These projects are expected to be completed first, at an estimated cost of 190 million euros (plus or minus 50%).
The land areas are set to include a hotel, a conference centre, restaurants, leisure areas, an exhibition space, shops and a Nautical Club.
The proposal for unified planning, integrating the port and marina, along with the decision to build the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) building on site, mark positive developments.
There are, however, grey areas in the proposal that have prompted reactions among residents, who have expressed disappointment and sought clarification through social media posts. The most significant concern is the cost estimate for the projects, which the Ports Authority says is indicative and subject to a significant degree of uncertainty, with an expected variance of up to 50%.
This carries the risk that some projects could later be deemed unviable and dropped. The Ports Authority, however, says these estimates will be updated and refined gradually. There are also significant concerns over the timeframe set for completing the projects. The roadmap provides for marina works worth 20 million euros by 2036 and port works worth 205 million euros by 2045.
Larnaca’s main stakeholders, however, view the roadmap’s presentation as an important first step in advancing a project of strategic importance for the city. “I believe it is a realistic proposal, which ensures that some projects will start immediately,” the chairman of the Development Committee and mayor of Larnaca, Andreas Vyras, told Phileleftheros.
Vyras said the Ports Authority had done fairly good work and that timelines needed to be realistic and honestly communicated to the public. He added that it was also positive that the Ports Authority would invest several tens of millions of euros and that cooperation with the private sector was expanding across various projects. He said the city would push for the timelines to be kept.
Asked to comment on the reactions, Vyras noted that a close look at the roadmap shows the most important projects will be completed by 2036.
The president of the Larnaca District Local Government Organisation, Angelos Hadjicharalambous, described the roadmap as a “good basis” for the project, saying “the important thing is to push the timeline forward a little and start the port and marina unification works immediately, and from there see land area and marina projects follow soon after.”
The president of the Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Nakis Antoniou, also expressed satisfaction with the proposal. “As the Chamber, we view the Ports Authority’s proposal positively, since it includes what we requested in the proposal we made public. We want to shorten some of the timelines slightly,” he said.
Antoniou added that the Chamber’s main concern was completing the legal part first, namely the transfer of the infrastructure to the Ports Authority, so that work could begin. He stressed that the projects would create new jobs and increase visitor numbers.