Dog owners in Larnaca have objected to restricted vehicle access at the dog beach in the Kassianes area, known as Spyros Beach, near Larnaca airport, after the Larnaca District Administration installed safety barriers along the beachfront.
Larnaca District Officer Odysseas Hadjistefanou told Phileleftheros that rocks had been placed from the desalination unit to the airport boundary to block vehicle access to the beach, which lies in a Natura protected area because of its proximity to the salt lake. He said some people had removed the rocks, so iron barriers were installed, which were also removed. Officials identified 13 caravans in the area and issued notices to their owners, which is why the safety barriers were put up. “There are points where someone can walk down to the beach,” he said.
Dog owners seeking a review of the decision say the barriers have also made access impossible for dogs with mobility problems, disabled people and elderly visitors, since the beach can now only be reached via a narrow, stony dirt path.
Christina Agapiou, a volunteer at the beach, told Phileleftheros the area should follow the example of Kapparis beach, where Paralimni Municipality spends significant money to keep it accessible. She said the beach had been given to dog owners so their dogs could cool off, and while she understood it needed protection, it was no longer accessible.
Agapiou called for a designated space to allow limited vehicle access, saying the current situation raises safety concerns, since motorbikes use the area for motocross, and that dogs and pedestrians with mobility problems have no way to reach the beach. She said one visitor with mobility problems had been unable to get down to the beach and left, calling the situation now “a gift not given.”
She added that beach users should be consulted to find a solution, and that in four years of visiting the dog beach, where Larnaca Municipality has installed beds and umbrellas, there had never been caravans there before. She said vehicle access should remain possible given the difficulty of reaching the beach on foot, warning that in temperatures of 40C, dogs walking on the stones risk heatstroke.
Phileleftheros put these objections to the Larnaca district officer, who said Larnaca Municipality had informed him it would build a wooden ramp at the dog beach to make access easier for dogs with mobility problems and for people with disabilities.
