The construction of the road network in the Industrial Zone of Monagroulli has been pending for years and the president of the Management Committee, Mr. Nikos Trikkis, describes the situation as difficult for the industrialists there, stressing that the responsible State Services do not proceed with the speed required for such an important project. The president of the Management Committee told “Entrepreneurial Limassol” that the procedures for the execution of the project have been through various phases and the Committee often visits the Ministry, but the procedures are not accelerated.
According to him, the Public Works Department started three years ago to prepare the plans that are now before the Land and Surveys Department, which will determine the square meters to be expropriated from each plot, asking for the consent of the owners. Mr. Nikos Trikkis said that the failure to build the road network discourages many entrepreneurs who would like to operate in the Monagroulli Industrial Zone, and that it causes problems for existing industries in terms of finding staff, since there is no easy access. This is also an obstacle for the customers of the industries to visit them, as they have to travel a one-kilometre dirt road. The passage of the dirt road also increases the costs for the industries, whose vehicles are often damaged.
According to Mr Trikkis, there are 10 industrial buildings in the area, some of which house two and three companies. He points out, however, that there are a number of entrepreneurs who wish to operate in the Monagrouli Industrial Zone, since the prices of the land are very good, but they do not do so because of the road. He claims that if developed, the Zone in Monagroulli will give a boost to the business community, since there are no places for businesses to operate in the wider Limassol area.
From the Ministry of Energy, the Senior Officer of Trade and Industry, Ms. Themis Papasolomontos, on behalf of the General Director, told us that the preliminary cost of the construction and paving of the access road and the main road and the layout of the internal road network was estimated, in 2012, at €12m, not including the cost of expropriation compensation. According to her, in an effort to limit costs, the minimum necessary functional road network was determined and at the request of the Community Council, it was decided to to begin with the construction of a section of the main access road, which presents the greatest problem.
In 2020, it was decided that the Community Council would undertake the preparation of the construction plans through the commissioning of a private consultant. In 2021 the Community Council informed that it could not proceed with the project through tendering due to lack of expertise and the Public Works Department was asked to become involved. The Department has prepared construction plans for the part of the main roadway to be constructed and for the improvement of the bypass road which will be used to access the land plots during construction.
At this stage, the process of preparing the area tables for the affected land plots is underway and is expected to be completed by the Land and Surveys Department. According to the Senior Officer of Trade and Industry, after the preparation of the tables, the Municipal President of Monagroulli will have to to secure consents from the owners of the land plots and then the Land and Surveys Department will prepare the final table with the affected areas to proceed with the expropriation so that the project can be called.
The Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, has included the project in its budgets for the years 2025 and 2026 at a total cost of €1,600,000. The official responsible from the Land and Surveys Department told “Entrepreneurial Limassol” that the process of completing the road construction in the Monagroulli Industrial Zone, which involves expropriation, is ongoing and every effort is being made to complete it as soon as possible.
He added that it is not a one-dimensional but a multifaceted process, as far as its stages are concerned, and that at this stage, spatial work is being carried out and a plan is being prepared based on which will show which land plots are actually affected, so that the process of updating the plan can proceed.
