THE DECISION on where to site the planned state-of-the-art Limassol Conference Centre has received another setback, and has now been dragging since 2005, with no signs of definite progress.All seven initial candidate sites had been rejected by the project’s external consultants and seven more proposed. Presently, there is a degree of confusion among stakeholders as to whether some of the second set of candidate sites have been rejected. In the meantime, the pressure for a decision is piling up, as President Papadopoulos recently stated that the project should be completed by 2012, when Cyprus will hold the EU Presidency.“As far as I know, the last seven candidate sites are still being considered. We have no information of them having been rejected. We have heard various rumours, but none of them have been confirmed,” said CTO Tourism Officer Athena Theodorou, who is responsible for the project.According to reports presently circulating in Limassol, six of the seven latest candidates have been rejected and the only candidate presently being considered is a site between the Old Port and the New Port of Limassol. This information has been confirmed by an official working at the Mayor’s Office in Limassol.But the official dispelled another rumour, according to which Limassol Council is in favour of reclaiming land from the sea opposite the Enaerios strip to construct the conference centre. “We would not be in favour of that site, as we just completed the upgrade of the area there (Akti Olympion) and we would not want to ruin that,” she added. The site opposite Enaerios was actually recommended by the Limassol Commerce and Industry Board, one of the project’s stakeholders involved in the consultation on where to place the project.The Green Party recently issued a statement expressing its opposition to locating the conference centre on reclaimed land at Enaerios beach. “It will cause chaos if they choose to have it on the beach. The upgrade and beautification of the area from the Catholic Church to the Holiday Inn has just finished and the seaside road is frequented by thousands of people who go there for swimming, walking or cycling. It is the only spot that has been saved from ‘development’. Now they want to ruin it by building a huge block of concrete on the beach, blocking the view and creating a dangerous precedent,” said Alkis Papis, Limassol District Secretary of the Green Party.The Greens had also indicated that a Yermasoyia site would perhaps be a better choice, given that Yermasoyia has already been ‘developed’ in ways that are contrary to principles of environmental and social sustainability. Limassol Council, however, insists the conference centre is located within its borders. During his recent visit to Limassol Town Hall, President Tassos Papadopoulos had assured city officials that the project would take place in Limassol.The CTO, however, does not seem to share this view and feels that the definition of ‘Limassol’ includes peripheral councils such as Yermasoyia and Ayios Tychonas. “When they say within Limassol’s borders, they also mean Yermasoyia, as well as areas further up,” said Theodorou.The Conference Centre is estimated to cost between £15 million and £30 million and will have a capacity for 2,000 conference participants. The initial seven sites were selected through a consultation between the CTO, Limassol city councils, the Mayor of Limassol, Limassol Commerce and Industry Board and other project stakeholders.Athens-based companies GBR Ellas and Thymios Papagiannis Ltd, in co-operation with American expert Robin Scott have been assigned responsibility of undertaking the project’s assessment study.
(By Anna Hassapi, Cyprus Mail)
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