‘Engomi mall another traffic disaster in the making’

(By Elias Hazou - Cyprus Mail)

THE NEW mall in Engomi is a traffic disaster waiting to happen and will be a repeat of the nightmare with the Mall of Cyprus, experts have warned.
During a stormy session at the House this week, Technical Chamber ETEK claimed that area planning in Engomi did not allow for such a grand scale project.
ETEK director Linos Chrysostomou went on to slam the Town Planning Department for interpreting the law arbitrarily.
He said that having a mall in Engomi would necessitate tampering with the road grid, resulting in construction works costing millions, with taxpayers picking up the tab.
He also referred to the location of the Mall of Cyprus and IKEA next to the Nicosia General Hospital, which has worsened traffic congestion in the area, with authorities now rushing plans for an overpass to ease the situation.
“If a permit had not been issued, there would be no need now to build a bridge…I for one am not prepared to pay for this project because of the mistakes of others,” said Chrysostomou.
Town Planning head Yiannis Papadopoulos defended his department against accusations that they changed the designated use of the real estate for IKEA, which was originally slated for a hotel.
He argued this was justified because the change was not deemed “essential” in town planning terms.
Responding, Chrysostomou wondered how Papadopoulos interpreted town planning regulations, pointing out that the issue was straightforward: commercial development was barred in the area in question.
And he mentioned a host of other examples of irregular construction, including the Jumbo stores in Limassol and Nicosia and the Chris Cash & Carry hypermarket in Limassol.
For her part, Communications & Works Minister Maria Malaktou-Pamballi said the government would estimate the cost of the overpass and demand that the Shacolas Group “contribute” to the expenses resulting from the existence of the mall.
Papadopoulos agreed, threatening to revoke the building permit and shut down the mall unless the Shacolas Group paid its share of the infrastructure costs.
The dramatic statement provoked an equally theatrical riposte from Greens leader George Perdikis who, in flawless Cypriot dialect, asked Papadopoulos:
“Are you serious? Do you think that this is some kiosk you’re going to close?”
Perdikis went on to allege that the Shacolas Group was planning two more buildings adjacent to the general hospital which similarly lacked the proper permits.
DISY deputy Lefteris Christoforou said the way Town Planning operated reminded him of a spider’s nest “which large and powerful bugs are able to penetrate, but small bugs get entangled in.”
While it takes years for the average Joe to get a straightforward house extension approved, the bigwigs get permits for massive projects in the blink of an eye, he said.