Residents of Larnaca’s DIPA block of flats, which has been declared extremely dangerous and at risk of collapse, have been given more time before they must leave, after telling the Larnaca District Local Government Organisation (DLGO) on Tuesday that they had appointed a private engineer and begun repairs. They will avoid evacuation only if the engineer certifies that the building is structurally sound, Phileleftheros understands from the DLGO.
The DLGO’s evacuation order, which gave residents three days to leave, drew a strong backlash from residents and business owners in the complex, one of the largest and oldest in Larnaca. Some 400 people live there, according to its managers.
In their formal notice to the DLGO, residents said repairs had already started at some of the dangerous points in the building.
DLGO president Angelos Hadjicharalambous told Phileleftheros that the engineer would meet the organisation’s enforcement department to set specific, binding timetables. He said the two key steps were securing the building’s structural adequacy, which was the most important, and carrying out work such as removing loose plaster.
The process is further along at the Filanta complex, also in Larnaca, which drew public attention not only after being judged dangerous but also over complaints of illegal activity, including squatting in flats and electricity theft. A structural study has been carried out there, and the DLGO is waiting for it to be submitted for evaluation, Hadjicharalambous said.
He said initial laboratory tests showed that “the concrete is in good condition” in the buildings. If the private engineer appointed by Filanta’s owners confirms this, the DLGO will not enforce its evacuation order. Instead, it will set timetables for work to make the complex’s five buildings safe. Hundreds of people live there.
DLGO action has so far led to the evacuation of two inhabited buildings in Larnaca, one of which has since been demolished. The organisation has also issued around 10 evacuation orders for inhabited buildings.
The DLGO issued the order for the DIPA complex, on Grigori Afxentiou Avenue, earlier this month. The complex has 64 flats and 12 businesses. Hadjicharalambous said at the time that the decision was based on two independent visual inspections and that the owners had not responded to repeated notices. The building’s management disputed that residents had been warned.
