PAPHOS CENTRE - THE PETROL STATIONS REMAIN

 Filenews 26 September 2020 - by Dora Christodoulou

The universal changes and variations of recent years in the historical and commercial center of Paphos, had at the level of thoughts and initial designs included a category of companies that were permanently at the center of the discussion about moving them from the center, but which because of the difficulties of implementing the design remained there for decades -  the petrol stations that are concentrated along Evagora Pallikarides Avenue, a stone's throw from the city's main square and shopping center. However, despite the universal changes and aesthetic improvements that have taken place in the region, the thought that existed for the movement of fuel stations remains as such, since it was considered "on paper" that conditions are far from ripe for a project of this magnitude and practical difficulties.

According to the information of "F" the whole effort has now been abandoned, since it was found that only one case had substantially practical possibilities of execution. In all other cases, for different reasons in each of them, the difficulties were such that it made it impractical to promote any designs.

Having said that, although the officials of the Municipality of Paphos continue to recognize that it is more than ever necessary and possible to move the gas stations out of the center, so that the regeneration of the area has a "practical impact" on these pieces, the whole effort is once again referred to over time.

"The aim of course was not to close businesses and leave the people who work there out of work," the municipal authorities stress, "but to move these businesses to other parts of the city. A project like this will not exist in Cyprus has now been created in the centre and petrol stations are not conceivable to continue to be part of it."

The entrepreneurs themselves in the sector, however, interviewed by the 'F' for these designs argued that in substance they themselves had never been part of any consultation on movement and consider it impossible at this juncture to consider such a change possible.