The tender competition for the redevelopment of Lady’s Mile beach in Limassol is expected to be announced towards the end of 2022, it was announced on Tuesday.

The issue of the redevelopment of western Limassol and mainly the infrastructure on Lady’s Mile was discussed at the House energy, trade, and commerce committee.

The redevelopment of Lady’s Mile dates back more than a decade. The tender for the around €10m project is expected to be announced towards the end of 2022 for works to start and be completed in 2023, head of the committee Disy MP Andreas Kyprianou said.

It concerns works for the proper access of visitors to the beach, the creation of parking lots and the development of an electricity and water supply network. Access to Lady’s Mile, a six-kilometre sandy coastal strip near the old Limassol port, is tricky since the only road running along the beach and the bars and restaurants located there is ploughed up with bumps and potholes. Businesses use generators to provide themselves with electricity. There are no public bathrooms or showers available.

“There has been a delay,” Kyprianou said, adding that the Limassol municipality was right to ask and take over the project after the completion of the environmental impact study.

Limassol mayor Nicos Nicolaides said after the committee meeting that the €10m budget for the redevelopment of Lady’s Mile, “is not excessive in relation to what this development can bring to the area.”

He said Lady’s Mile and the natural habitat nearby were “of remarkable environmental beauty, a national treasure.”

The municipality’s intention, he said, after it is assigned the completion of the project, was to proceed with all the necessary works with respect for the environment, but mainly to protect and renovate both the road and the beach and the adjacent habitat “in a way that respects and highlights its environmental value.”

Kyprianou said that the plans for the wider western Limassol area also concern development “in an environmentally sound way”, from the new port to the bay of Pissouri.

Akel MP Costas Costa raised the need to protect the area’s environment.

“We are not against growth which supports the economy and creates jobs as long as it is not at the expense of the environment, it is not unruly, and it complies with laws and regulations,” Costa said.

He said his party has once again expressed strong concerns for the licensing of large developments in the area, which is adjacent to the Akrotiri forest and the Akrotiri area “one of the most important environmental areas of Cyprus, which must be protected in every way.”