A public mobilisation will take place on Wednesday at 6pm at Larnaca’s port roundabout, as local authorities up pressure on the government over delays in the port and marina redevelopment project.

The municipality said on Monday, participants will demand immediate clarity on development plans, insisting that the city’s perennial position on land use must be included in any final proposal.

“Despite the sworn commitments of the president to present a final plan within six months of the Superfund, this timetable was not adhered to,” it said.

The municipality also expressed concern over what it described as gaps in a recent study submitted by Greece’s Growthfund, arguing that it does not adequately address land development, which local stakeholders consider essential.

Mayor Andreas Vyras said the latest developments reflect ongoing institutional delays and a lack of coordination between state bodies.

Speaking earlier on CyBC, he said instructions had been issued preventing the ports authority from submitting final proposals on infrastructure and financing, a move he described as a setback.

“We are facing delays and backtracking,” Vyras said, adding that uncertainty was contributing to lost time in advancing the project.

He also reiterated concerns over the government’s approach to sequencing development, particularly Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades’ position that port works could proceed without immediate land development.

Vyras has argued that integrated planning is essential for the project’s economic viability.

“The Cyprus Ports Authority is an arm of the state, and we believed there was coordination,” he alleged.

The dispute comes in the aftermath of the collapse of the €1.2 billion concession agreement with Kition in 2024, which left interim management of the port and marina divided between the ports authority and the transport ministry, with no long-term development model agreed.

The municipality said the current approach raises concerns that land development could be postponed or excluded altogether, adding that “the approach of the ministry causes deep concern” among local authorities.

The municipality further said a new study is expected in early May to define land use options and project costs but questioned why these issues were not addressed earlier in the planning process.

It also reiterated that any final plan must include land development uses defined by the city itself, warning that proposals limited strictly to port and marina operations would not be acceptable.