Six towers of up to 86 metres are planned for the site of Larnaca’s former oil refinery, after developer Shajwawi Lebovich Karekla Developments Ltd submitted environmental studies to the Department of Environment for a project called Horizon Towers.
The development is proposed for the former oil refinery and petroleum storage area within the Livadia Municipality boundaries, now part of the new Larnaca Municipal Cluster. The land was granted by Petrolina, owned by the Lefkaritis family.
The six towers, ranging from 70 to 86 metres in height, will house 530 residential units. The development also includes two multi-use public buildings with restaurants, retail shops, a gym, spa and office space, along with green spaces, swimming pools, a padel court and parking.
The project is split into two sections — Plot 1 and Plot 2 — each with a separate planning application, though the developer describes them as a single aesthetic and functional intervention.
Plot 1 comprises two 20-storey towers (Horizon 1 and 2), standing 86 metres tall with 99 apartments between them, a five-storey multi-use building with shops, restaurants, a gym and offices, a 550 sq.m. swimming pool, a playground and green spaces.
Plot 2 features three 17-storey towers (Horizon 3, 4 and 5) with 85 apartments each, and one 16-storey tower (Horizon 6) with 77 apartments — 332 units in total. It also includes a three-storey multi-use building, two swimming pools totalling 900 sq.m., a children’s pool, a padel court, an outdoor refreshment area and parking for 427 vehicles.
The environmental studies pay particular attention to groundwater management. Because of the site’s proximity to the sea and excavation depths of up to 4.20 metres, lowering the water table will be necessary during construction. The studies propose re-injecting pumped water back into the aquifer through specialist boreholes outside the development boundaries, to avoid any reduction in groundwater levels.
Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months. Noise and dust impacts are described in the studies as “minor to moderate” and fully reversible.
The studies conclude that “the multidimensional character of the project is fully aligned with the new multi-functional core of the area, transforming a former industrial zone into a modern urban centre.”