The Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry has intervened in the controversial issue of the construction of two Shopping Centres in close proximity to each other in the Municipalities of Mesa Gitonia and Ayios Athanasios, expressing its support for new investments and developments, but also its strong concern regarding the further aggravation of the traffic problem in the area.
The Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry calls on the Ministries involved (Transport, Communications & Works and Interior) to take the necessary steps to avoid further aggravation of the traffic problem already faced by the area. It recommends the advance upgrading of the local road network and the construction of at least the eastern part of the Northern Bypass and its verticals, to connect them to the road network of the area to decrease the traffic problem.
On the traffic aspect of the licensing of the two Mall, the Minister of Transport Alexis Vafeades told us that for the one in Mesa Gitonia, the Public Works Department has requested clarifications and is waiting to see how the road connection requested on part of the road network for traffic facilitation will evolve and is pending. According to the Minister, for the Shopping Centre in Agios Athanasios, the impact not only on the area of concern to the investor's planners but also on the wider road network is being studied and therefore an extended study is being prepared to show the degree of impact and what measures need to be taken to avoid traffic congestion. Mr. Vafeadis expressed the hope that some results will be achieved soon.
The applications for Planning Permits, for the two Shopping Centres, near the intersection of Spyros Kyprianou and Agios Athanasios avenues, are currently being studied at the Head Offices of the Planning Department, which is consulting with other departments involved. For the Agios Athanasios Mall, the Planning Department is awaiting opinions from the Electricity Authority Department (EAC) and the Municipality of Mesa Geitonia (with which it borders), as well as from Public Works. For the Mesa Gitonia mall, the views of the Municipality of Mesa Gitonia are awaited. Once the Planning Department has received all the necessary information, a report will be prepared and will be brought before the Director of the Department for final approval and then sent to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
The green light, subject to conditions, for the construction of the two shopping centres was given by the Environmental Department and the conditions of its opinions include the creation of a total of four roundabouts for smoother vehicular traffic in the area. For "The Mall of Limassol", owned by the Atterbury Europe company, a roundabout will be built at the junction of Georgiou Neophytou and Spyros Kyprianou Avenues in the Municipality of Mesa Gitonia.
For Limassol Mall, owned by C.A.C. Papantoniou Ltd, three new roundabouts will be built on the existing road network (one in the southern, one in the south-eastern and one in the north-western part), in order to ensure the smooth management of road traffic. The consultation given concerning the construction and operation of the Shopping Centres states that they are similar in character to major hypermarkets in the area such as AlphaMega in Linopetra (1.1 km South-South-East), the Sklavenitis Hypermarket 1.6 km East, Lidl (1.6 km South-East), Superhome Centre (0.75 km North-West) and Marks and Spencer (1.6 km South-West).
There were reactions to the construction of the two malls from residents of the area and from the shopkeepers of the Limassol city centre, as well as from the Association of Industrialists of Agios Athanasios (SYVIAA), who in a letter to the appropriate bodies (Planning Department, Mayor of Agios Athanasios, Mayor of Mesa Gitonia) expressed their deep concern and the possible impact on the industrial area of Agios Athanasios.
