A RUSSIAN-BACKED scheme for Kato Paphos to ‘build’ sandy beaches and a sea-plane port on the western coastline was announced last year with an estimated cost of around 100 million euros.
It has seemingly ground to a halt after the project hit problems with the antiquities department which refused to give scheme the go-ahead. Nassos Hadjigeorgiou, the head of the Paphos regional board of tourism said this week, “We haven’t heard from Quatro since their presentation to us last year.”
The idea was proposed by Moscow-based Quatro Engineering Ltd and would see the creation of new white sandy beaches in Paphos using strategically placed stone walls and nets.
The proposed area would stretch from Faros beach to Kefalos beach and entrance would be via a ticket system. In addition to the new beach, the company had planned to construct a small marina and two areas for seaplanes, travelling to and from the Greek islands, Egypt, Israel and around Cyprus.
At the time, mayor of Paphos, Savvas Vergas said he approved of the scheme, which he believed could be of great benefit to the town. But, he also pointed out that the close proximity of the project to the UNESCO protected archaeological park in Kato Paphos, was problematic. The Russians had proposed to rent the land for 50 years, but as it is government owned, the plans had to receive the backing of the relevant departments.
The Antiquities Department did not accept the project due to its position, as well as the clash in styles. They also said that works taking place in the water could damage undiscovered remains on the sea bed. Vergas said at the time that “keeping the archaeological park under the protection of UNESCO” was a priority, and nothing would be done to jeopardise that.
Like most such schemes that are announced with the usual fanfare of unbridled enthusiasm, this too will doubtless die a slow death and be consigned to the waste-paper basket of tourist fantasy.
And what of the much heralded development opposite the Hilton Hotel in Nicosia? More hype and televised signing of intent with government and Qataris in attendance; followed by indecision, wrangling over the price of the land and the all too familiar mutual recriminations as to whose fault it is that nothing’s been concluded.
And so it goes on…
I suspect someone may need a way to get away quickly when the authorities are about to catch up with them?
@ Robert … Russian Money ! Apparently the great saviors of Cyprus ???
Who will pay for this nonsense?