The Larnaka 2030 Organisation has applied for planning permission for an arts and culture centre, expected to cost about 35 million euros, and urged state services to fast-track the application. The centre is one of the main infrastructure projects for Larnaca’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2030.
The organisation said the strict, inflexible timetable attached to the Capital of Culture title meant the permit had to be issued promptly. Only then could tendering and construction go ahead without delay and the centre be finished on time. It called on every government department and authority involved to treat the application as a top priority and to use every means available to coordinate and speed up the process.
“Any delay at this stage carries over into later stages,” said Andreas Karakatsanis, the organisation’s Director General. On a project with a fixed timeframe, he said, that could put the whole schedule under pressure.
The centre
The centre will cover about 8,000 square metres on the site of the former refineries. It is planned as one of the main venues for Larnaka 2030’s arts programme and as a permanent cultural venue for the city after 2030.
It will be built in three parts. The Arts Centre will house an 800-seat theatre. The Creation Centre will offer exhibition space and room for artists to make work. The Museum of People’s Memory will be devoted to the stories, memories and multicultural past of the people of Larnaca and Cyprus.
The Petrolina group, which has paid the design costs so far, commissioned the design from Foster + Partners, working with the Cypriot practice UDS Architects.
