In a meeting next Tuesday, the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee will shed the spotlight on a major integrated development project in Agia Fyla.
This ambitious project, by Rofeno Properties Limited, represents a substantial investment in health and education, with the project’s financial blueprint preliminarily pegged at €856 million.
The proposed development is designed to forge a mixed-use ecosystem, combining educational facilities and business park infrastructures.
Covering 949,916 m², the development has a total built area of 350,785 m².
This includes a mix of components such as a private educational institution, a European-branded medical and rehabilitation centre supportive of assisted living facilities, a research and innovation hub, a business park, sports facilities, dedicated green zones within the business park, and a residential development enriched with commercial and leisure infrastructures.
The project is slated for completion by 2030, unfolding in two phases for the school’s construction.
The development parcels are positioned on the eastern flank of the upcoming highway connecting Limassol to Moniatis, near the Heritage Private School.
The ground level of the business park’s edifices is set to host mixed-use facilities, including retail spaces, dining options, recreational areas, and a hotel, interlaced with pedestrian and cycling paths.
The sports complex is poised to feature a 600-seat football stadium, a tennis academy boasting eight courts, an open-plan volleyball/basketball court, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and an ice rink primed for ice hockey competitions, sprawling across a 70,000 m² parcel with a construction allowance of 10,500 m².
The medical/rehabilitation centre is envisioned to encompass a spectrum of medical services and rehabilitation facilities (excluding an emergency unit).
The residential segment of the development is projected to house 1,752 units of varying dimensions.
The educational facility, encompassing roughly 13,000 m² for dormitories and 23,500 m² for educational pursuits, is designed to accommodate a total of 2,000 students across kindergarten, primary, and secondary levels, supported by 256 staff members.
Environmental impact
The development’s ecological footprint includes the proposed removal of a considerable number of carob trees, prompting the Department of Forests to raise concerns regarding the potential impact on the protected beetle species, Propomacrus bimucronatus cypriacus.
An estimated 260 carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua) are at risk of being felled during the construction phase, with a compensatory initiative to plant young carob saplings.
The project’s researchers anticipate that these measures will maximise the survival prospects of the indigenous beetle within the study locale.
In total, 676 trees are expected to be impacted, with plans to plant 2,500 new trees to mitigate the environmental imprint. Additionally, the development will necessitate the removal of 90 loquat trees and 325 olive trees, some of which surpass 200 years of age.
Furthermore, the project’s researchers are engaging with the Department of Antiquities, given that portions of the development site overlap with a declared ancient monument, associated with the remnants of a medieval settlement at the Agios Tychikos locale.
