Greens lament destruction of heritage

THE GREEN Party yesterday expressed outrage that yet another one of Nicosia’s neoclassic buildings had been allowed to perish in order to make way for a modern building in its place.

“It is with sadness we discover that ‘the fascism of the bulldozer’ and the ‘power of demolition’ are still prevalent in this country,” the party said.

The party issued its statement yesterday when it found out the ‘Loukoudes Buidling’ on Demesthenis Severis Avenue had been knocked down over Christmas. All that remained where the old building had once stood was a pile of rubble, the Greens said.

“The bulldozer, in a position of absolute winner, was allowed to sit on top of the ruins for days. Why was such a building allowed to be demolished? They will tell us it was a private building and the funds could not be found to expropriate it. But funds are found for a whole host of other projects, extravagances and luxuries.”

The Greens said more proof of this cultural destruction by the authorities was the Antiquities Department’s insistence to demolish the ‘Anemospito’, an old colonial building in the grounds of the old Nicosia general hospital.

“Because the new archaeological museum has to be built and to offer an unrestricted view from all sides, the old building has to go,” the party said.

As for suggestions to dismantle the building and to reconstruct it elsewhere, the Greens remained unconvinced.

“We remind you of the last time something like that happened with the colonial building on Byron Avenue, when all we were left with was a bunch of numbered sandstones,” the announcement said.

“Stop demolishing the history of our town,” it concluded.