Larnaca’s busy Zinonos Kitieos Street, running parallel to Finikoudes, has reopened to vehicles after the completion of pedestrian upgrades in front of its shops, offering hope for better days ahead for business owners there.
Part of the street will close again after 24 August for the project’s final phase. New trees and the first flower beds have significantly improved the area’s appearance, alongside white benches and other new street furniture.
“We placed particular emphasis on greenery, and there will be final touches with new flower beds, along with the completion of shade structures,” Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras told Phileleftheros. He added that the redevelopment of Filiou Zannetou Street, which crosses Finikoudes, will be finished by the end of August, with the project’s final phase due to be completed within schedule by the end of the year.
That final phase, running from the Atrium Zenon Hotel to the former Ottoman Bank building, will not affect commercial premises, and vehicle access will still be allowed up to Pallas Square.
Despite significant disruption, particularly for shop owners, the project has received largely positive feedback for transforming the commercial centre’s appearance after decades of neglect.
On the downside, white floor tiles in some areas have shown staining, though the municipality says they will be cleaned regularly, and the black poles supporting the shade structures have drawn criticism for their appearance.
Even so, the area’s overall look is markedly improved. “I believe the project has given the commercial centre a new boost and a note of optimism,” Vyras said, adding that interest in vacant shops has increased in areas where work has been completed.
The outlook is also positive for the city’s second major project, the redevelopment of Alkis and Acropolis squares, which has been completed bar final additions to street furniture and planting. The busy Grigori Afxentiou Avenue and Kalogera Street reopened to traffic last month.
The two projects, worth more than €14 million combined, are co-funded by the THALEIA Programme and were awarded to Miltiades Neophytou Civil Engineering Contractors & Developers Ltd.
