The Lefkara district is home to hundreds of dangerous buildings, including crumbling listed properties, Turkish Cypriot homes, and structures abandoned by owners living abroad, Mayor Sophocles Sophocleous said.
Expressing his sadness over the deaths of two people following a building collapse in Limassol on Easter Saturday, Mr Sophocleous said he felt anger that authorities were once again reacting to events rather than preventing them.
The Mayor said he has spent years appealing to the Ministers of Interior and Transport, the Town Planning Department, and Parliament to address the issue of dangerous buildings. He said he had requested strict legal measures, provided photographic evidence, and submitted specific proposals to avoid casualties, but noted with regret that progress has been insufficient.
Sophocleous said he asked the President of the Larnaca District Self-Government Organisation (EOA) to demand inspections of all buildings in the city and district and to publish all issued planning permits. He noted that this has not happened, despite raising the issue again 20 days ago during a meeting in Larnaca with the heads of ETEK and the Larnaca EOA.
Dozens of buildings across the municipality’s seven districts are abandoned, the Mayor said. In Pano Lefkara alone, 555 properties are listed as heritage sites, though a large number face serious structural problems. Approximately 100 are Turkish Cypriot properties, many of which are in very poor condition. Similar issues exist in Vavla, Lageia, Skarinou, Kornos, Delikipos, and Kato Lefkara.
In the district of Lageia, the municipality has already demolished buildings that were on the verge of collapse after owners showed indifference or remained abroad. Sophocleous said he previously warned MPs that local authorities might have to take the law into their own hands. He added that the situation remains unchanged today as municipalities lack the necessary tools to protect residents from buildings that could collapse on passers-by at any moment.
The Mayor said he did not support the demolition of buildings with historical and cultural value, but argued that public safety must come first. While Cyprus’s architectural heritage should be preserved, he said that state inaction leaves local leaders with no choice but to demolish buildings that have become unstable and hazardous.
