Larnaca ‘building anarchy’ out of hand

LARNACA municipality yesterday began a campaign to restore the quality of the city’s urban environment, determined to crack down on illegal additions and expansions on pavements and public spaces.

The campaign is also aimed at private developments that fail to acquire a town-planning licence for additions or alterations on building structures.

The town’s mayor, Andreas Moiseos, said that “the Municipal Council is worried about the dimensions that illegal building activity and town-planning anarchy has taken,” and added that the situation as it is undermines the quality of life of Larnaca residents and decreases the aesthetic quality of the city’s urban environment.

The Technical Service of the Municipality has already started mapping and logging such illegal activities in the Larnaca area, setting the city’s commercial centre as a priority.

In the cases where illegal activity concerns private spaces, the appropriate legal measures will be taken. Interferences on public sidewalks or other public spaces will be dealt with by an official crew of the Municipality which will be responsible for removing any objects or structures and restoring public areas. Wrongdoers will be charged for the relevant expenses.

Moiseos added that the Technical Service of the Municipality has made arrangements so that it can examine possible applications for legalising such additions, alterations or uses of public space, but only if these comply with Larnaca’s Local Plan.

He also emphasised that the measures announced are effective immediately, as the situation is out of hand. “Despite the Council’s attempts to restore order, we still see the space on pavements taken up by illegal structures, and as a result pedestrians cannot get through,” he said.

The Larnaca Municipal Council has decided to give owners and occupants a period of six months to demolish any illegal developments and stop the illegal use of certain public spaces before taking strict measures.

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