FACED with the threat of temporary closure of a top hotel, the government yesterday decided retroactively to grant planning permission for an extension to Limassol’s Le Meridien.
Work on Le Meridien’s new wing began three months ago, on November 21, even though the necessary planning permission had not been granted.
Construction was halted earlier this week, at the request of the Limassol District Office.
But things took a turn for the better for the five-star hotel yesterday.
When the Cyprus Mail spoke to Le Meridien’s manager John Wood yesterday morning, he seemed a worried man.
He said the hotel would be forced to close its doors and cancel all its bookings for the coming summer season unless a belated permit was granted, and fast.
"If they do not give us the permit in the next day or so, we will be forced to stop work (on the extension) completely, simply because we cannot carry on with building into the summer season," Wood said.
"If that’s the case, we will be forced into the unfortunate situation of closing the hotel down completely. There’s no point in bringing people in to look at a building site," the hotel manager said, pointing out that the new wing was going up between the existing hotel rooms and the sea.
Wood defended the hotel’s decision to begin construction of the extension before a permit had been granted, telling the Mail that "verbal permission" had been given by the relevant authorities.
Le Meridien would be forced to pay hefty compensation to the building contractors if work had to be suspended long-term, Wood said.
But he was hopeful that a belated permit would be granted.
"The District Office has reassured us we will have all the licences," he said.
Apart from the possibility of Le Meridien being out of action this summer, the government also faced the threat of industrial action by hotel employees.
The unions representing Le Meridien workers, Sek and Peo, held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation yesterday morning.
"The unions are exerting a lot of pressure as well," Wood said. "They – quite rightly – do not want people to loose their jobs," he added.
A couple of hours later, a relieved Wood contacted the Mail again.
"We’re back in business!" he announced.
Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou had granted permission for the new wing.
"It seems the pressure has worked: we have just been advised that the minister has signed the document and it’s now going to town planning. We expect to have it in our hands within a couple of hours’ time," Wood said.
"We have been told by the minister that they can start work tomorrow morning," the hotel manager added.
