The government has come under a lot of criticism from Larnaca municipality and a section of the media for the decisions it has taken about the development of the town’s port and marina, which have been in limbo since the €1.2bn contract with investor Kition Ocean Holdings was terminated last May. It is totally unjustified criticism, considering all attempts by successive governments to develop the port and marina, which commenced more than 20 years ago, have failed spectacularly. Before Kition was awarded the contract, there had been several failed attempts to find an investor to take on the project.

At least Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades has come up with a pragmatic and sensible plan, which will take some time to fully implement. This appears to be the main objection of the Larnaca municipality that will organise a protest against the government’s decision, the mayor and councilors feeling aggrieved that this was taken without any prior consultation. Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras said, after meeting Vafeades on Monday, that while he accepted the government had every right to take this decision, he believed that it should have been discussed with the municipality beforehand as it would affect the course of Larnaca’s development.

Perhaps the municipality should have been briefed about the decision, which was taken by the council of ministers in the previous week, but this would have caused endless discussions that would serve no useful purpose. As the government will be picking up the bill for the work that will be done, until an investor is eventually found, and needs to ensure that the project does not end in failure again, detailed planning was imperative. The administration of the marina would be given to a private company for a period of about five years, while the government would undertake the planned improvement works, such as its deepening, landscaping and construction of a yacht club, during this period.

This period would be needed for the authorities to decide how the port and marina would be developed. For this purpose, consultants would be hired – terms of reference are being prepared – to advise the government which will put to them the ideas about the port and marina that it would first discuss with the Larnaca municipality. The consultants would be able to study the ideas and cost them before they make their final proposals. After the experience with Kition, which balked at the size of the investment it was expected to make when it calculated the revenue the marina and port would generate, it is very wise to rethink the whole project with the help of experts.

If the investment demands are too high, as had been the case from the start, no investor would be found. This is why it is necessary for experts to devise a pragmatic development plan that would be attractive to potential investors. No investors would put their money into Laranca port and marina if they will not secure a healthy return on their investment. It will take a few years for the plans to be prepared and a tenders’ procedure to be completed, which is why the government has decided to undertake some improvement work in the meantime.

We should have learnt by now that rushing things always end in costly failure. The government is absolutely right to take its time.