‘We Are Being Pushed Out of Centre’ Shop-Owners protest
IS THE state technical university TEPAK gobbling up Limassol’s historical town centre in a land grab reminiscent of the hungriest, greediest private land developer?
Certainly, to some Limassolians, it would seem so. The town centre increasingly resembles a university campus and is inevitably changing the landscape and dynamics of this historical area, a change that will increase as the university continues to implement its ambitious development plan. TEPAK has certainly added an academic element to the town, but its spread has come at the expense of some shop-owners, services and residents, who claim that they are being pushed out of the centre they have traditionally occupied.
“Historically, this is the first time such an endeavour has taken place in Cyprus. In a very brief period of time we have managed to transform the centre, expand and secure buildings for the campus. In general, we want to maintain the memories of these spaces as part of Limassol’s history,” said Zenon Achillides, head of TEPAK’s Property Management Service.
Not all are completely convinced. “In 10 to 15 years time Limassol will be unrecognisable, and we will not even remember how it looked before,” said Yiotis Kyriakou whose 3,500m² family-owned building on Saripolou Street in the town centre has been taken over by TEPAK.
To give some perspective on the scale of the project: over the next 10 years in two phases, the university will eventually spread over approximately 100,000m² of the city centre and the the Old Hospital (Development Pole B). The total cost of building construction will reach €200 million.
“TEPAK is the MIT or the Metsovion University of Cyprus,” said Dr Elpida Keravnou, TEPAK’s Dean.
There are those, however, who argue that placing a university campus at the centre of Limassol is neither sustainable nor commercially viable. Some of these individuals, businesses and organisations were evicted or will be evicted from the buildings they own or rent, in return for compensation or rent re-imbursement.
“We are taking TEPAK to court because instead of keeping to the initial agreement of long term rental of our family-owned building, TEPAK moved to expropriate our building. We do not accept this solution, particularly as the law states that private property expropriation by the state should only be the last resort, if other solutions such as rental or purchase of the building cannot be found,” said Kyriakou.
“In general I think TEPAK’s development was rushed and piecemeal and without proper planning – the Masterplan has not even been completed yet.”
Kyriakou does, however, see TEPAK’s presence in the town in generally positive terms. “I am in favour of TEPAK’s presence in our town,” he said. “It is a solid and long-term development of the centre that will stay with us for life.”
As shops and services become more student-oriented, he believes the commercial character of the area will change but the 10,000 students and two to three thousand academic and support staff will provide a healthy source of income.
Others, however, do not share Kyriakou’s optimism. One frustrated business man is art seller Christos Georgiou, director of Orpheus Gallery on Athinon Street in the centre of Limassol. Georgiou has announced that his gallery will close because the area will no longer attract customers interested in buying luxury items such as his.
“There is absolutely no parking space in the centre and it has also become a student campus, and students are not good customers when it comes to original art work,” he said. “From a commercial viewpoint, turning the centre of town into a university campus is not a good idea. Everyone else will simply be pushed out. They say that they want to attract life to the centre, but who will come here if there’s nothing left because the university has taken over?”
The gallery opened in 2002 and its closure will definitely create a void in the town’s art scene. “Orpheus has made its mark; it was the first gallery in Cyprus to feature on EuroNews- Le Mag, the only gallery selected for publication on Cyprus’ contribution to the EU’s enlargement in terms of culture and art. We even introduced some new concepts and reached artists in Brazil, the USA and Israel,” he added.
At present, TEPAK is going through the first phase of its growth. The university has already taken over 30 buildings in the centre, through expropriation or rental agreements and has plans to take over 10 more buildings in the next few years. These include buildings on the seafront road, Irinis Street, Eleftherias Street, Themidos Street and Saripolou Street.
TEPAK has even infiltrated Heroes Square, Limassol’s red light district, surrounded by a strip of cabarets, strip clubs and dodgy hotels. TEPAK has already transformed two such hotels into students housing, and two other buildings into classrooms. “The aim is to eventually provide housing for 200 students at Heroes Square and make it a student gathering spot. We actually get frequent phone-calls by old cabaret owners who want to retire and offer to sell their buildings to us,” said TEPAK’s Achilledes.
The Continental Hotel, one of the first hotels in town and an exceptionally beautiful building, has also been appropriated by TEPAK through a long-term rental agreement. “We will need at least a year and a half to fix this building up, which will be used to house the offices of the Economics and Management School. In this case as well, the university will give life to a historic building and renovate one of the most significant buildings in town,” he said.
Few would deny the desirability of renovating both grand old buildings and more humble ones, but the effects of TEPAK’s takeover on hundreds of locals cannot be downplayed.
Historic Themidos Street – earmarked for TEPAK’s expansion – is host to an array of shops, bars and cafes.
“My cafe has been here for 18 years now, and has become part of Limassol’s history,” said Photis Kyprianou, owner of Il Posto Cafe. “Do the decision-makers in Nicosia know about this history? I do not wish to relocate to the tourist area – we belong here.”
Phase 2: the old hospital
As the second phase of TEPAK’s growth encompasses taking over the old hospital and police headquarters building, all organisations housed in these buildings will need to evacuate. These include: external medical practices, ALMA Centre for the Development of Children’s Skills a part of the Theotokos Foundation, St John’s Ambulance, the Cyprus Red Cross Limassol branch, ANOSI Drug Rehabilitation Centre, and an elderly people’s day care centre, among others. Some of these organisations, however, have not yet made alternative housing arrangements.
“They told us that by 2012 everything in the old hospital will have to move. With limited funds and no guarantee of alternative housing, we are thus faced with an uncertain future,” Jill Neophytou the director of ALMA told the Sunday Mail.
“We are a non-profit organisation as we only charge a nominal fee for the care we provide. Although we are hopeful that the state will support us, we estimate that the cost of building another centre will reach €1 million. We are thus pleading for support from the public,” she added.
“All the departments housed in the old hospital will be relocated. We help all these organisations as much as possible and even offer to pay their rent for six years until they make permanent arrangements. The aim is to remove first the buildings found in the hospital’s garden: these include the Limassol Red Cross, St John’s Ambulance and an elderly people’s day care centre,” explained Achillides.
“We have already found alternative housing for St John’s Ambulance and will be paying their rent for six years. They were actually very excited because the move will constitute an upgrade in their facilities and at a much better venue,” he added.
The buildings in the hospital’s yard will be demolished, while the outline or some parts of the edifice of the buildings that currently house the police headquarters and the old Limassol hospital will be maintained.
Background
The Cyprus University of Technology, TEPAK, focuses on the teaching of economic, technical and scientific subjects.
With its orientation towards applied research, TEPAK was established to complement scientific areas not currently covered at undergraduate or postgraduate levels by the University of Cyprus.
TEPAK’s campus development will be implemented in two phases. The first phase, running from 2007 – when it welcomed its first students – to 2013 encompasses the renovation of historic buildings in the centre of town, including public buildings such as the old post-office, the courts and Land Registry office.
The second phase will run from 2013 to 2017 and will see the development of the second campus pole, in the area of Limassol police headquarters, and the old Limassol hospital. Both of these buildings will be evacuated and transformed into part of the campus. The university’s strategic plan foresees that by 2020 the number of students will reach between 7,000 to 8,000, with five to seven schools and 21 to 28 departments.
The first phase of the development plan, launched following a decision by the Council of Ministers, includes renting out six private-owned buildings in Limassol’s centre, and renovating three state-owned buildings: the old post office, old court house and old Land Registry. In Phase Two, the campus will spread to the site of the old hospital, the central police department and the Third Astiki School.
The plan also encompassed the creation of ‘white zone’ around the university’s initial premises. Any building within this zone may become part of the university, and news of such a possibility has alarmed local shop-owners, many of whom have been there for decades.
Seven government agencies have been involved in drafting TEPAK’s development plan; these include Limassol City Council, Public Works, the Ministry of Education, Town Planning, Land Registry, the Planning Bureau and TEPAK’s own administration.
