With worn, rusty and uneven wooden floors, as can be seen in the photos of our newspaper, the “restored” dock of the Larnaca marina was recently handed over to the public
No substantial upgrade of the wooden floor of the dock despite the Larnaca marina has been done, to the great disappointment of the people of Larnaca who were expecting a complete restoration of this historical monument, as the managing company of the port and marina had originally announced. The redevelopment of the marina was the first project announced by Kition Ocean Holdings, as part of the integrated port and marina development.
As announced, the improvement of the marina would precede the rest of the works so that the public would be able to walk on the renovated dock and watch the works that would be carried out in the marina… Of course, the responsibility for half the restoration that was finally done in the historic wharf belongs to the Conservation Branch of the Department of Town Planning and Housing, which placed specific restrictions on the investor in relation to the redevelopment projects.
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In particular, as it became known, the replacement of the wooden floor of the dock was prohibited, even though it was one of the main parts that needed replacement, with the justification that the dock is preserved. “As far as the floor of the dock is concerned, based on conservation principles, the operation carried out concerns the replacement of only those wooden pieces that have rotted or corroded and the preservation of the rest that are salvaged with suitable preservative material”, he noted, among other things, in a statement last January, the Department of Urban Planning.
At the same time, Kition Ocean Holdings announced that the dock redevelopment work was progressing in accordance with the pre-determined conditions set by the relevant departments. The company announced that the existing metal frame of the dock was maintained and strengthened and the oxidized parts were replaced, the “Nautilos” building was maintained and reconstructed, a new electrical installation was installed, while the existing light fixtures, the original crane and the historic lighthouses were maintained.
For all these works, the marina dock remained closed to the public for about a year and a half. And while the people of Larnaca were expecting to see an impressive project, as it appeared in the relevant models published by Kition, with the opening of the pier, disappointment came, as the pier does not present an image of a renovated – restored space. As can be seen in our photos, there are still wooden floors that are worn, rusted and uneven, with large gaps between them, which pose hazards to pedestrians.
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We remind you that in recent statements the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, the mayor of Larnaca, members of the provincial parliament and the local chamber of commerce and industry expressed serious doubts and concerns about the course of the integrated development project port-marina, calling on the managing company to officially announce its intentions and the start schedules of the major projects it has already announced.
