After lengthy processes and a multitude of reactions, the way is now wide open for the construction of the Aura project, a tower standing at 181.5 meters and 44 floors on the seafront in Limassol, where the former Debenhams department store was located.
Until the green light was given for the construction of this tower, which if built will be the tallest building in Cyprus to date, there were prolonged discussions and numerous debates and reactions among municipal groups in Limassol.
Municipal councillors expressed serious disagreements about the height of the tower and the plot of land, which they claimed is too small for such a large-scale development.
The latest episode in this long-running saga unfolded with a recent procedural decision by the Limassol City Council, essentially endorsing a decision by the Council of Ministers that allows the unification of underground public spaces for the benefit of development.
The proposed project is separated from a public road, with the owners owning a piece of land beyond the public road.
They requested its inclusion in the development for higher building density purposes, a request that was granted following a decision by the Council of Ministers, granting “the right to use the underground passage” to the applicants, effectively unifying the underground spaces of the development.
The Limassol City Council gave the green light to this provision by a majority, while the municipal groups AKEL and EDEK expressed their disagreement once again.
The project received a positive opinion from the majority of the Limassol City Council since December 2019, where, in the third consecutive vote and after a marathon session, the Limassol City Council approved the Aura tower.
The balance tipped in favour of development with 14 positive votes, despite the negative vote from Mayor Nicos Nicolaides and 11 municipal councillors, while it also secured planning permission and approval from the Environmental Authority.
For this specific development, the Limassol Municipality has secured compensatory measures such as the landscaping of a public square and park at ground level, the creation of a cultural centre, and around 300 underground parking spaces.
AKEL municipal councillor Michalis Sokratous, when asked why he expressed disagreement, explained that he disagreed with the construction of this development in an undefined area, which accumulates costs along with other towers that have been erected, noting that the current economic conditions do not justify building such a development at the location.
On his part, the municipal councillor of DISY, Michalis Vasiliou, who also disagreed from the outset with this development, pointed out that he believes such an excessively tall and large-scale development does not fit in this area, as the specific piece of land is narrow with a small façade, creating environmental, traffic, and other impacts.
He even sarcastically remarked that “some people think Cyprus belongs to them.”
Asked to comment on the licensing of this specific development, Limassol mayor Nicos Nicolaides stated that in the critical session of 2019, he was among those who voted against the project, which, however, received the approval of the majority of the City Council members. He also commented that it is wrong to raise the issue now since the City Council gave the green light in 2019, while the recent vote of the Council was merely procedural.
On his part, the head of the DISY municipal group in Limassol, Costas Yiallouros, when asked to comment on the reasons that led DISY to vote by majority in favour of this development, supported that in 2018, when the project was proposed, at a time when the economy of Cyprus and the banking system were facing a capital adequacy problem, DISY acted responsibly.
He further explained that the project was given the green light after two votes, following the necessary studies by various competent departments (e.g., Town Planning, Fire Department, Environmental Department) and after ensuring that various necessary conditions are met.
Yiallouros also cited the significant compensatory benefits granted to the city, such as the creation of an urban park and parking spaces.
The said project has been designed by the internationally renowned architectural firm Foster+Partners, supported by a plethora of foreign and Cypriot researchers, aiming, as stated, to create a modern, ecological tower, harmoniously integrated at its lower part with the city’s urban fabric.
The project’s researchers have supported in previous publications that a basic design parameter, beyond the necessary urban planning and environmental factors, is the non-interference with the comforts of the area’s residents and the significant improvement and upgrade of them.
In this context, as noted, the proposed apartment building, which will also constitute the commercial aspect of the development, rises 24 meters from the ground of the Urban Park and is void, permeable, so as to ensure, on the one hand, the spatial and visual connection of the park with the seafront and on the other hand, the improvement of the residents’ comforts and the area in terms of ventilation, lighting, and sea view.
