Lefkara’s Mayor and Larnaca’s district officer have decided to review abandoned Turkish Cypriot property in Lefkara and to propose to the Interior Minister that some of these houses are used for agro-tourism or offered to young couples.
Mayor Sofoclis Sofocleous told the Cyprus News Agency that the issue was discussed with district officer Odysseas Hadjistefanou with a view to such properties being renovated and used, rather than constituting an eye sore for the scenic village.
He said it was agreed that measures were needed to protect these houses from wear and tear, to support those that are close to collapse and to clean up the area. Lefkara municipal teams do clean up regularly as the buildings in question are of architectural and cultural importance, he clarified.
The cemetery and mosque are cleaned up every year, in line with a policy to protect places of worship. He said it was agreed to review who is allowed to use these properties and under what status as decisions date back several years. It was also decided to reassess how such properties were assigned to private individuals and for some of them to be given to young couples.
The Interior Minister will be asked to declare a tender process so that some of these properties can be rented to individuals interested in using them for agro-tourism. The funds would come from the custodian of Turkish Cupriot properties, he added.
