New student dorms will transform Paphos, says mayor

Paphos municipality signed a contract on Friday for the construction of 203 student accommodation rooms, as the mayor vowed that major changes are on the way.

Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos said he is very proud that about 90 contracts have been signed in recent years that have “transformed Paphos”.

The latest is the student accommodation project, which includes the municipality having paid €1.2 million for about 5,000 square metres of land.

The accommodation will provide 203 rooms of 24 square metres each.

The third phase of the project is centred on building tennis and basketball courts, parking spots, and green spaces. That will cover 32 plots, the mayor said.

He said the accommodation should be ready within 11 months, with the works being carried out by A. N. Ioannou Construction Ltd.

The mayor thanked the church committee for agreeing to join the plots of land on which the Cyprus University of Technology Paphos (Tepak) is located with land on which a church is located, along with the land of the student accommodation.

Phedonas also explained that the state has provided a significant amount of land for Tepak’s agricultural institute in Acheleia.

He emphasised that the municipality is determined to continue upgrading the area as it works alongside private property owners, including businesses and shop owners.

The mayor praised Tepak’s presence in Paphos as “increasing the critical mass of the city, [it’s] a step towards creating a new pillar in the district’s economy”.

The recent projects, he said, have transformed the city’s identity and broadened its horizons.

Other positive changes have been a significant upgrade of the tourism product and sector, the creation of new jobs, and the enrichment of society and the district’s culture.

It was reported in September that classes got underway at the Paphos branch of the Cyprus University of Technology with 300 students enrolled.

Phedonos hailed the modern higher education facilities, with final costs estimated at €20m, as he said the university expects a future enrolment of 1,000 students in total.

The Tepak School of Tourism Management, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship is joined in Paphos by a branch of the American University of Beirut.