BRONZE BIRD STOLEN FROM PAPHOS STATUE FOR SECOND TIME
By Bejay Browne
A bronze bird which is part of a recently installed statue in Paphos old town has been stolen again, just hours after all four of the birds were replaced by the artist after they were stolen in January.
Distraught artist Yiota Ioannidou told the Paphos Post that she has reported the theft of the bird from The Girl With the Sparrow to the police, who are now on the look-out for the thief and that the mayor and other local authorities have also been alerted.
She said that all of the birds will now be removed until they can be reattached safely once and for all.
“What is the point of doing this? This work is for everybody to enjoy and belongs to the public,” she said.
Paphos police have been understanding of the crime, Ioannidou said, and they contacted district officer Mary Lambrou who looked through CCTV footage from outside her office to see if it had captured anyone but it appears they don’t quite cover the area in question, she said.
The statue is hugely popular with the public and sits on an open space.
“I really can’t believe that another bird has been taken, these thieves are disgusting and must be punished. Public art is important for our spaces in the town, what is their thinking behind taking these birds, it’s despicable,” said local worker Irini Christodoulides.
Ioannidou said Paphos Mayor Phedonas Phedonos told her that when a coffee shop opens nearby in a few week’s time the area will have cameras fitted, many more people will visit and it will be safer.
The sparrows are an important part of the bronze sculpture, one of them sits carefully in the girl’s hand, as she gently holds it. It took the artist one month to create the replacement birds, which were then firmly attached to the bronze rods on the base.
The child and the birds sit on a marble cushion and plinth and under the branches of a recently planted olive tree.
“Now I will also have to create something that will see the birds have a base and be able to be firmly attached and not just by a rod and then be very difficult to move.”
However the artist said that it’s a shame such defensive action has to be taken to stop public works of art from being stolen.
The piece is the third work by the artist to be placed in the town. The Little Fisher Boy and Sol Alter, a homage to Aphrodite, attract hundreds of visitors every day. Another of her sculptures is found in Argaka and honours rural mothers.
PAPHOS REELS FOLLOWING AIRLINE COLLAPSE
By Bejay Browne
Paphos is reeling following the loss of direct flights to Germany in the wake of the collapse of budget airline Germania after it failed to secure financing and immediately cancelled all flights.
“There is no time to try and react to this devastating news to try and replace these lost flights as the new flight plans were due to start on April 1. This is a very negative outcome for Cyprus, especially for Paphos,” head of the Paphos regional board of tourism Nasos Hadjigeorgiou told the Paphos Post.
The bankruptcy of the German airline leaves a big gap for Paphos in 2019 in particular from major airports such as Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Nuremberg and Dresden. In addition, a large gap remains during the winter, said Hadjigeorgiou.
It is estimated that Germany, based on 2018 data, accounts for 45,000 to 50,000 incoming seats/visitors.
Apart from Berlin flights, which are serviced by other airlines, tourism professionals don’t see any immediate replacement for the rest of the routes, Hadjigeorgiou said, describing the situation as difficult.
The German market is a priority, especially for Paphos, as it is a year-round market, he said.
“Of course we have the sun and sea travellers from Germany but also there are many specialist visitors, such as golfers, nature lovers, sports tourists, scuba divers and more.”
Disgruntled airline passengers have been left stunned, scrambling to re book with other airlines.
Retired musician Andrew Oliver and wife Christiane, who is from Hamburg, split their time between Paphos and Hamburg, regularly using Germania.
They were due to travel back to Paphos with Germania but had to re-book with Easyjet, paying far more money for flights which are not direct and arrive in Larnaca instead of Paphos.
“Christiane has been on the internet since 6am this morning, re booking our flights, after we heard the news of Germania going bust on the radio,” Oliver said from Hamburg.
He added that German radio announced no refunds would be available.
However, Top Kinisis, which is listed as the representatives for Germania in Cyprus, said around 80 per cent of customers booked online and will be sorted out by the airline, adding that travellers from Cyprus should contact their bank to secure a refund.
Oliver lauded the service offered by the now defunct airline, saying that traveling with them had been excellent, a good quality experience for a budget airline as luggage and meals could be included in the price.
“We have regularly used these flights since they started and this is a real blow for us. It seems there are no direct flights between Germany and Paphos and our trips will once again be far more expensive and take far longer.”
Hadjigeorgiou said that company had played an important role in the development of tourism from the German market in the last few years, especially in the non-peak season.
“Paphos will now focus on the winter season of 2019 to 2020, at least we have some time to react,” he said.
MAN THREATENS TO SET HIMSELF ON FIRE AT PAPHOS LABOUR OFFICE
By Bejay Browne
A man doused himself with petrol and threatened to set it alight at the Paphos labour office demanding they reinstate his monthly allowance.
According to an eyewitness, the incident occurred at around 11am. Some 40 people were in the building at the time.
Paphos police arrived at the scene moments later and arrested the man.
“The staff told everyone to get out, to evacuate the building as a man was sitting on the floor and yelling he would set fire to himself,” local businessman Neil Hart told the Paphos Post from the scene.
Hart said that the man was agitated but that he couldn’t understand what he was shouting as it was in Arabic.
Police swiftly resolved the situation and led the man away taking the petrol can with them, Hart said.
The man, a 32-year-old Syrian national, wanted the authorities to reinstate his monthly allowance, which had been cut because he had reportedly refused to work.
Reports said the man was examined by a state psychiatrist.
PEYIA CONCERNED OVER DEVELOPER’S PLAN TO BUILD COASTAL TOWERS
By Bejay Browne
A planning application by Leptos developers to build three new towers next to a popular seaside hotel in Peyia has led the local council to request a public consultation as soon as possible.
Leptos developers has applied for an ambitious expansion at its Coral Beach Hotel and Resort to include three seaside apartment towers. They are seven, eight and nine floors respectively.
“A public consultation on this matter is very important, as this is the first time that high buildings will be created in Peyia,” the town’s mayor Marinos Lambrou told the Paphos Post.
The matter was discussed at a recent council meeting where councillors argued that as Peyia is in the process of creating a master plan for the area, it made no sense for the authorities to grant planning permission in the middle of this procedure.
The planning zones for the ‘design’ of Peyia are currently being examined and should be completed in around a year’s time.
“I’m not saying that there won’t be any high buildings in Peyia, but the question is where,” he said.
Peyia councillor, Edek’s Achilleas Achilleos, said that he feared that the request would ease the way for even taller buildings in Peyia in the future.
“The municipality needs to take a decision and draw a line to decide the maximum height of buildings that we accept close to the sea, for example five floors and no more,” he said.
But developer George Leptos told the Paphos Post that the buildings would be ‘not much taller’ than existing ones and, as some of the levels will be underground, only seven floors would be visible.
“I don’t like to refer to them as towers or tall buildings as it gives the wrong impression. I don’t consider them as such, and they are not like those in Limassol of 20 or so floors for example.”
He added that these buildings would have less of an impact on the surrounding environment than lower, larger, sprawling buildings which could be placed there, as there is plenty of width available at the plot.
Leptos said that the new project would also be in the middle of the plot and not on the coastal protected area, or close to the nearby road, nor would sea views be obstructed.
“The empty plot behind also belongs to us anyway,” he said.
Once all of the necessary permits were in place the project would get underway during the winter months so as not to disturb visiting tourists, he said, adding that the carefully designed project would include many green areas.
“We will create around 250 to 300 new beds and this will be beneficial for the area,” he said.
“We are developing a nice design with a lovely environment and lifestyle. Some of the apartments will be rented out as part of the hotel and with their own facilities, and others sold to facilitate the development.”
Peyia councillor Linda Leblanc said it made no sense to construct high buildings on the plot.
“There needs to be a proper study and the question is, do we really want high rise building in Peyia at all? I’m firmly against the idea,” she said.
Describing the buildings as a radical departure for Peyia, she said that Leptos had built the first four story apartment block in the area around 2000, and now they are ‘everywhere.’
“This sort of thing sets a precedent and there shouldn’t be any high rise buildings in Peyia at all,” she said.
The council has asked for a public consultation in line with EU legislation which will enable residents to be informed about the proposed development and to comment before a planning permit is issued from Nicosia.
“There are so many questions which need to be answered. I am not against development ‘per se’, but I think such buildings are a backward step and a more holistic approach is needed to development in Peyia,” she said.
Leblanc also questioned the need to build further apartments as so many already lie empty in Peyia.
“A recent study found that of the 7,000 or so buildings in Peyia, around 1,400 still remain empty.”
Lambrou, Achilleos and Leblanc are also all concerned that Leptos has failed to adhere to regulations in the past.
The mayor said outstanding issues include the existence of a small marina without permission, and public access to the beach.
Although the hotel was granted planning permission 30 years ago, it continues to host many illegalities decades later, Leblanc said.
“The mini-marina has contributed to erosion and other problems in the bay, there is limited/no public access to the beach, and a lack of a public green areas,” she said.
Achilleous stressed that he was not against development in Peyia, but that it needed to take place correctly.
“Although there will be underground parking available, the towers will still be higher than anything else so far.”
Tall buildings have become ‘fashionable’ in Cyprus in recent years, pulling both criticism and praise from locals and businesses. The Limassol skyline has seen the greatest change so far, with a rapidly altering horizon, as many tall buildings are being constructed along its coastline.
As well as aesthetic concerns, there are also worries that these buildings could pose a safety risk or a danger of earthquakes. The zones of highest seismic danger include most seaside areas in the of the island including Paphos, Famagusta, Larnaca and Limassol.
PAPHOS GETS TWO NEW PARKS
By Bejay Browne
Two new parks will be created in Paphos and are due to be completed in the coming months, according to the municipality.
The first will see a proposal for a ‘park with access for all’ made by members of the public come to fruition, following a Facebook vote on the three most popular ideas which were submitted, and then chosen by a special committee.
“The park will be suitable for everyone and is being created by using part of the municipality’s budget after people voted for it on Facebook,” a municipality spokesman said.
He added that using a ‘participatory budget’ is common in many other European counties but this will be the first time the Paphos municipality has undertaken such a move.
“The idea was given the green light at a recent council meeting ,” he added.
The new area will be created using an existing green space that has been prepared at Kavala street and will be specially designed to serve all ages and needs of the public.
“It will be an inclusive space, and by that I mean it will be suitable for use by everyone including, young children, elderly and people with special needs.”
The proposal for the creation of this park was submitted by the Paphos chamber of commerce youth section and the Paphos Round Table 7, at the invitation of the municipality. They called for relevant proposals to be submitted, which were then voted on by the public.
The winning project garnered 68.5 per cent of the vote.
“This procedure is being implemented in an ever-increasing number of
European cities in Spain, Germany, Italy and other countries,” he said.
The space is already prepared and around €20,000 worth of equipment will be installed in the next couple of months.
A second venture, a ‘Chinese park’ will also be created in Paphos, found close to the site of the Opap park in the centre of Paphos, and is being undertaken in collaboration with the Chinese embassy in Nicosia.
The tender process has been completed.
“This park will strengthen what is already a very good relationship between Paphos and the Chinese embassy and we already have many families living in Paphos,” said the spokesman.
The park will have a Chinese ‘character’, he noted, helped by a number of lifelike Panda forms and bamboo and it aims to provide an entertainment and relaxation space for the families of Chinese nationals living in the district, and also a beautiful and pleasant park for locals, he said.
The new park comes with a €100,000 price tag and around 50 per cent is being covered by the Chinese embassy in Nicosia, he said.
“The embassy gave €30,000 to Paphos municipality for the project, as well as €20,000 worth of equipment. The municipality will put in another €50,000,” he said.
Ambassador, Huang Xingyuan, handed over the funds to Paphos Mayor, Phedonas Phedonos, and construction of the park at an empty lot is underway. It’s due to be completed in three months.
The spokesman added that around 1,000 Paphos homes have already been sold to Chinese nationals so far.
