CONTRACTS have been signed for the upgrading of the Limassol seafront at a cost of approximately €18 million, part-funded by substantial grants from the European Union.
The project will concentrate on the section of seafront extending from the town near the Catholic Church to the Holiday Inn Hotel and back to the Limassol’s old port and the new marina that is currently under construction. Work is scheduled to be completed in two years and should be in its final stages during the time that Cyprus is holding the EU presidency.
The project will feature open parks and green spaces to improve the aesthetic quality of the area; it will create more children’s play areas and two new cafés will be added. There will be considerable improvements to the pedestrianisation of the seafront area plus a skateboard park area for teenagers to enjoy. There will be more bus stops on the seafront and upgrades to the cycle paths.
The seafront upgrade is the fifth contract to be signed and is the last in a series of major infrastructure improvement projects to be undertaken in the Cyprus town of Limassol.
The first and second projects focus on the renovation work to the town’s historic centre. The projects aims are to protect and project the historic and cultural elements of the area, which includes the medieval castle, as well as the town’s architectural heritage. The projects include the creation of four news squares and extensive pedestrianisation in the town centre.
The third project involves the transformation of the Garyllis river area into a municipal park and the fourth is the major refurbishment, modernisation and upgrade of the Patticheon Theatre.
The Limassol Mayor, Andreas Christou, said: “Visitors, tourists, residents, everybody will look at Limassol town with new eyes, it will be a tremendous boost to our economy and give us a new confidence and character. The added benefit of our fully functioning TEPAK University and the numbers of foreign students and visitors this will bring into the town means Limassol will be almost unrecognisable as the seaside town and resort of even five years ago.“