Transport Minister and local stakeholders discuss Larnaca marina development timeline

The Cypriot authorities will immediately begin the preparations of tender documents for experts on the development projects in the area of the Larnaca marina and port and will submit them to the city’s stakeholders by mid-September for comments, Minister of Transport Alexis Vafeades has said.

Following the abandoning of the joint development of the Larnaca port and marina, and the announcement of projects estimated at over €30 million to upgrade the marina and the surrounding area, Vafeades on 19 August met with the representatives of the coastal city’s stakeholders in a bid to discuss the timeframe for the implementation of the development.

“The view of local stakeholders is important so that everyone would know how we proceed, what will be the issues to be covered by the experts and the issues to be decided in the future,” the Transport Minister said in statements after the meeting, vowing that the projects will proceed in a fast pace.

The short-term projects as announced on 31 July, concern the start of a study on the construction of the Larnaca yacht club, the landscaping of the area which will connect the Finikoudes promenade with the marina, as well as the upgrading of the marina area.

On the dredging and upgrade of the Marina, Vafeades said the Department of Public Works will begin the preparations for the tender documents, adding by the next meeting with the ad hoc committee of the local stakeholders the Ministry will notify when the tenders will be launched.

He added that an architectural competition will be launched with regard to the construction of the nautical club building, noting that he will meet with the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ) which will assume the tender for which a technical committee will be set up with the participation of the new Larnaca District Local Government Organisation, of the Larnaca Municipality and of the Transport Ministry.

Vafeades insisted on an architectural competition, by pointing out that he wants “an emblematic building for Larnaca and Cyprus and we hope that the competition will yield this result.”

Replying to a question whether the government rejects the Cyprus Port Authority’s proposal on the Larnaca Port, Vafeades said the development of the port lies within the broader state plan on port infrastructures.

There are studies for the region of Vasilikos, Larnaca and Limassol and we should see them as a whole and in strategic way and then decide on the role of each infrastructure, he added.

On his part, Andreas Vyras, Mayor of Larnaca said that in September or October, when the technical committee will meet, specific timeframes will be submitted on when a project begins and when it concludes.

Noting that a timeframe cannot be set before these steps are completed, Vyras added that a strict timeframe has been set and that “we will not allow time to go by.”

“We knew that after the failure with Kition Ocean Holdings, things would not be easy, these things take time but a strict timeframe has been set as well as a strict monitoring so that these projects will begin correctly and will be implemented,” he concluded.

The projects were announced on 31 July after Kition Ocean Holdings terminated a contract amounting to €1.2 billion for the port and marina joint development in late-May, marking the third failure of such a project following 2010 and 2015.

(Source: CNA)