A notice to the effect that an application has been submitted to the Department of Town Planning, for the granting of a Town Planning Permit in deviation of the provisions of the Limassol Local Plan, "for the development of an Organized Shopping Center", has been placed on the facade of a large block on Spyros Kyprianou Avenue, near its intersection with Agios Athanasios. The notification dated February 22 2023 states that written representations from affected parties can be submitted to the Urban Planning Authority within one month of its publication. As well as that the deviation for which the application is submitted concerns the creation of a shopping centre as well as the size of the proposed project.
The understanding is that the proposed architecture will contribute to the avoidance of overbuilding, as well as to the substantial integration of the proposal into the urban area without compromising the amenities of the residents. The information that an application was submitted for a Mall in the specific area was recently broadcast by the Limassol Channel 6 radio station.
Press reports suggest that a preliminary inquiry for the project has been submitted to the Town Planning Department in Limassol, but due to its nature, it will be taken up for study at the Head Offices in Nicosia.
A traffic study will be required, since the proposed project is located on the borders of Mesa Geitonia and Agios Athanasios municipalities and a new road network will have to be opened, for the benefit of both municipalities. InBusinessNews had carried a report last February that Atterbury Europe, which owns the Mall of Cyprus together with the Siakolas Shopping Park, as well as the Mall of Engomi, was preparing an expansion in Limassol. The report mentioned that the acquisition of a piece of land, within the Municipality of Agios Athanasios, had fallen on the negotiation table a few years ago, without, however, a positive outcome.
This was confirmed by the Agios Athanasios Mayor Marinos Kyriakou, adding that there was also contact between the interested parties and the Municipality. The Mayor emphasized that for permission to be granted for a Mall, the intersection planned at the of Spyros Kyprianou and Agios Athanasios Avenues, as well as the extension of Agios Athanasios Avenue to the beach, must be completed. A reliable source, with good knowledge of urban planning issues, told "Entrepreneurial Limassol" that it may be necessary to carry out a study on the commercial effects on Limassol from the operation of a second Mall, since some commercial streets may be further affected, and traders are already voicing concerns.
