A residents’ group from Hydras and Laryssis streets in Agioi Omologites, Nicosia, has formally disputed claims that the “Riverside Stories” development is fully legally compliant and environmentally sensitive, setting out ten objections in a written response to a publication that portrayed the project favourably.
The group said its objections are not directed at the development’s luxury character but at its scale, volume and the approval of a third floor within what it says is a designated historic core. Residents said the impact on neighbouring properties includes loss of views, sunlight, ventilation and property values, and that these are foreseeable consequences of an oversized development incompatible with the character of the area.
On planning status, the residents said the developers’ claim that the site does not fall within the Agioi Omologites historic core is misleading. Under the current Local Plan, the group said, the plot is clearly within the historic core, and the very fact that an exceptional approval was required to build a third floor undermines the developers’ assertion of straightforward planning compliance.
The strongest factual element in the residents’ account concerns the Labour Inspection Department, which the group said was the only public authority to respond promptly and substantively to their complaints. The department issued an immediate order to halt construction after finding conditions on the site to be seriously dangerous, and imposed official requirements that must be met before work can resume, the residents said.
On trees, the group said the developers declared in their planning permit application that no trees on the plot would be cut. In practice, the residents said, more than 12 trees have been removed, both inside and outside the plot boundary, with others still at risk. Six pavement trees have also collapsed due to damage to their root systems, the group said, adding that no adequate explanation has been given for how this occurred or who bears responsibility. The residents said the developers’ claim that some eucalyptus trees were dry, rotten and dangerous has not been supported by any specific, verifiable or technical documentation made available to residents.
On traffic, the group said 24 underground parking spaces do not address the broader problem of additional vehicle movements on narrow, already congested streets with no through-road. They cited a reported incident in which an ambulance carrying a seriously ill patient could not pass through Hydras Street towards Agioi Omologites avenue. The incident was formally reported, the residents said, but has received no response.
The group said letters raising concerns about parking, traffic and the overall burden on the area were sent first to Nicosia Municipality and subsequently to the Nicosia District Local Government Organisation (DLGO), which succeeded the municipality. Both sets of letters remain unanswered, the residents said, adding that the change of administrative body does not excuse the failure to respond since the same personnel and institutional knowledge of the issues carried over.
The residents called on the developers and responsible authorities to publish in full the studies, assessments and technical data used to approve the development, saying vague assurances that the area would not be adversely affected are unacceptable while residents are already experiencing the consequences and have no access to the underlying documents.
The group reserved the right to take legal action over what it described as inaccurate, misleading and offensive references in the original publication, and demanded that its response be published in full, in a position and with prominence equivalent to the original article.