A major education and sports development known as Fasouri Academy and Sports Hub has reached the planning stage in Cyprus.
The master plan has been submitted to the relevant authorities for consideration. The proposed scheme is located in the Municipality of Kato Polemidia, near Limassol.
The project would include three school campuses covering the full education cycle, from pre-primary and primary education through to secondary school.
Each school would operate as a self-contained campus. Plans include modern classrooms, specialist science laboratories, libraries and facilities for art and music education.
Major sports hub planned alongside schools
The development would also feature a large sports centre designed to support both school and wider sporting activities.
Facilities would include a multi-purpose indoor hall, football and tennis pitches, a swimming pool and athletics track. The plans also include a gym, basketball courts, squash and padel courts, as well as recovery and support facilities.
Subject to certain conditions, the sports facilities could also be opened to the wider public. The aim would be to support physical education, sport and leisure activities in the surrounding area.
4,500 pupils planned for the development
According to the project study, the development would cover 307,844 sqm of usable land and provide capacity for around 4,500 pupils.
The scheme would employ 145 teaching and administrative staff. It would also include 643 car parking spaces and 57 spaces for buses.
The developer is seeking planning approval for the master plan as a whole. This approval would then provide the framework for separate planning and building applications covering the individual parts of the project.
Development raises environmental questions
The proposed scheme covers environmentally sensitive plots with a total area of about 360,000 sqm.
One of the main issues under discussion is the planning status of the site. Under the Statement of Policy for the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri, the plots fall within Z1 Protection Zone.
The designation is intended to protect areas of archaeological, natural and landscape value. It also covers forests, protected landscapes, geological features and rivers or streams.
A smaller part of the site falls within the Republic of Cyprus, where it is classified as agricultural land under the Γα2 zone.
More than 7,000 trees could be removed
The environmental impact of the project is also likely to attract attention.
A total of 10,707 trees have been recorded across the plots. Most are cypress trees, mandarin trees and pomegranate trees.
The plans propose removing 7,083 trees. This includes 4,309 pomegranate trees, 2,774 mandarin trees and rows of cypress trees.
A total of 3,624 fruit trees would be retained. As a compensatory measure, the project proposes planting 2,800 new trees, including 1,738 cypresses, 689 pines and 373 trees for urban landscaping.
Fasouri area already seeing rapid growth
The proposed school and sports hub is situated within the wider Fasouri area, which has undergone significant redevelopment in recent years, much of it on land formerly used for citrus groves.
Within a one-kilometre radius are Fasouri Watermania, My Mall Limassol and City of Dreams Mediterranean.
Other major projects are also under consideration or subject to ongoing studies include the Limassol Greens Golf Resort; a massive, €400 million luxury master-planned resort development comprising a total of 500 villas and 250 apartments/penthouses. Spanning 1.4 million square meters, it is the largest master-planned residential community project in the city’s history.
Other large residential schemes for the area have been proposed by Emerland Real Estate, Brightbuild Properties and AN Sky Garden.
If it goes ahead, the Fasouri School master plan would form part of a wider transformation of the western Limassol area, where education, leisure, tourism and residential development are increasingly concentrated.
