The best option will be the one that will be embraced by individuals and institutions through an open consultation and should answer the question of whether the city is best served, Limassol Mayor Yiannis Armeftis told “Entrepreneurial Limassol” regarding the possibility of moving Pancyprian Union of Public Employees (PASYDΥ) to demolish the site and use it for the expansion of the Limassol Archaeological Museum. As is known, this proposal was put on the table at a meeting between the leadership of the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with the Deputy Minister of Culture, Vasiliki Kassianidou.
The Mayor added that a serious and productive consultation with all the city's bodies and citizens should start immediately, since the challenges for 2030 are great and decisions should be taken as soon as possible. He stressed that Limassol needs detailed spatial planning that also will resolve the location of cultural infrastructure. He pointed out that in modern cities, these are linked to large public spaces and greenery, architectural heritage, recreational and commercial usage, as well as transport planning.
He also said that the location of the museum should not only serve functionality and accessibility, but also wider needs of the city, such as enhancing the attractiveness, multifunctionality and infrastructure of the city centre, better serving local people and tourists, expanding pedestrianisation and integrating urban spaces, promoting micro-mobility and public transport.
According to Yannis Armeftis, a modern museum can be the occasion for a holistic approach to long-standing spatial problems, such as the dispersion and fragmentation of central uses and infrastructure, instead of the proximity and continuity that are currently lacking. "The quality of the public space adjacent to these uses and the added value this will bring to both the new museum and the city is important," he added.
According to the mayor of Limassol, there are two scenarios on the horizon for the museum, the first being the use of the existing Archaeological Museum building, combined with a new extension on the site of the PASYDY building. He adds that in this scenario, a connection to the Public Garden is essential, so that it functions as a natural extension. As well as that the connection to the city can be achieved by connecting the Public Garden east to Enaerios and the Art Gallery and west to the GSO and the new areas of the Foitidou estate up to Agiou Andreou street. He stresses that this scenario unifies the Public Garden infrastructure cluster and extends the city centre further east. "The connections have been discussed previously and are feasible, but they require redevelopment of the Public Garden, the road network and the entire block, including the open spaces of the Courts of Justice," he continued.
The 2nd scenario according to the Limassol Mayor involves the relocation of the District Administration and a change of use with a new museum building at the back. He explained that this could potentially create conditions for the redevelopment of the Urban School, pedestrianisation of Anexartysias Street, connection with Heroes' Square, Rialto, Pattihio and the city centre, thus strengthening the cultural infrastructure cluster of the centre. He also stressed that the new museum should extend its opening hours and that a key issue is to enrich it with spaces that host temporary exhibitions and other uses, such as educational spaces, so that it remains alive most of the day and has regular visitors.
We were told by the Deputy Ministry of Culture with whom we contacted that the possibility of using the PASYDΥ building to expand the museum is being discussed, but the main priority is to expand and improve the museum's spaces. Regarding the operation of the Museum on weekends we were told that it is not feasible at this stage.
The President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Andreas Tsouloftas told us that the Deputy Ministry has undertaken to contact PASYDY to examine the possibility of finding another satisfactory space to move to another building in Limassol, while the Chamber has put on the table specific buildings in Limassol that belonged to the Cooperative Bank and remain vacant, so they could be used to house PASYDY.
Last week, Mr. Tsouloftas was in contact with the District Officer of the Department of Antiquities who told him that they are looking into the issue of PASYDY, but nothing concrete has emerged yet. As well as that they would like to see other plots of land that the Limassol Municipality had previously put on the table as alternative locations for the Museum. "Since the Department of Antiquities insists that the Museum cannot be located in Epichosi and there is no possibility to include PASYDY in its expansion, then other plots could be considered," Andreas Tsouloftas said.
He added that he also had a meeting with Mayor Yannis Armeftis at an event and they agreed to have a talk this week in order to set a meeting next week to discuss major issues of Limassol (one of which is the museum). The President of the Chamber believes that the Department of Antiquities could also be invited to a meeting before the end of the summer, primarily to examine whether the issue of utilizing the PASYDY building for the direct expansion of the city's Archaeological Museum, which he explained is considered the best solution by the Department of Antiquities.
