Our goal is to implement policies and measures that create the conditions so that all citizens can live, work, raise a family and invest in their place, without exclusions and restrictions, Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou said in his greeting, representing the President of the Republic, at the inauguration of the first phase of the project to redevelop the coastal road and central core of Zygi.
According to Ioannou, the project inaugurated on the evening of Thursday, 24 September, is part of a broader plan to upgrade the public space of the community, improve the daily lives of residents and create new opportunities for the economic, social and tourist development of Zygi.
"The project, with a total cost exceeding €1.7 million, constitutes a comprehensive intervention on the Zygi beachfront, with improvement of the road network, upgrading of sidewalks and public spaces, creation of green spaces, modern urban equipment and lighting, as well as the necessary technical infrastructure," he said.
"However, beyond its technical characteristics, the project has broader significance, since it aims to create meeting places and places for people to get active, contributing to the improvement of their daily lives. At the same time, it enhances the attractiveness and visitor numbers of the Community, to the benefit of its business and economic development," he explained.
According to Ioannou, the completion of the first phase of the project constitutes an important milestone in the broader plan for the upgrade of the coastal front and the core of Zygi, adding that this plan continues, with the second phase already in the implementation stage, with its contractual cost amounting to almost €2 million, co-financed by European funds, within the framework of the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027, which concerns infrastructure projects in rural areas and village regeneration and with the support of the Directorate of European Funds of the Ministry of the Interior.
"The Christodoulides government views the development and progress of Communities as an integral part of the overall development strategy of the State. The development of a country, in order to be balanced, must concern all regions in a fair and equitable manner. Our goal is to implement policies and measures that create the conditions so that all citizens can live, work, start a family and invest in their place, without exclusions and restrictions," Ioannou said.
The Minister of the Interior added that this requires the development of infrastructure, the implementation of projects, the provision of necessary services, but also the creation of opportunities for economic and business activity, and above all, the creation of prospects for retaining the existing population and attracting new residents, through the creation of housing options for young people, families and workers.
"Having placed housing high on our priorities, we are developing housing programs that respond to the needs of different groups of the population and provide substantial solutions. At the same time, these policies contribute to the revitalisation and revival of the countryside," he continued.
More specifically, Ioannou stated that the Housing Plan for the revitalisation of rural areas is being implemented, of which Zygi is a part, while at the same time, two new measures were recently announced, which seek to strengthen the countryside and contribute to the increase in its population.
In particular, he said that through the Plan for the Allocation of Land to Families based on income criteria, an important public asset is utilised, state land, which is granted at 25% of its market value, with the aim of supporting families who face difficulties in acquiring land, while creating, at the same time, new prospects for the Communities.
He added that in the first stage, 570 plots of land will be made available in the immediate future to communities across Cyprus, including nine in Zygi.
Equally important, according to the Minister, is the Scheme for granting the right to build an additional floor or extend an existing residence for the housing of family members, which is implemented nationwide, in cities and communities, expressing the assessment that "it will provide significant relief to young people and families who wish to utilise their family's existing residence and meet their own housing needs."
"Within the framework of our targeted strategy for rural development, all policies operate in combination and complement each other. At the same time, the contribution of the development projects implemented in our villages to the improvement of the daily lives of citizens and the social and economic development of the regions themselves is essential," he pointed out.
"Zygi is a typical example of this integrated approach. The regeneration of the coastal road and the core of the Community, the second phase that is already being implemented, the Museum of the Sea and Fisheries, the sports facilities and the projects that have been implemented or are being promoted in the wider Vasilikos-Pentaschinos area, compose a network of interventions with a common goal: a more modern, more functional and more attractive area," he noted.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
