A businessman renting a store in the former Othello cinema building in Engomi has accused the Nicosia district local government organisation (EOA) of failing to act on a structure it has classified as dangerous.

Vasilis Hadjigeorgiou, director of the company operating the store, wrote to the EOA, claiming that despite repeated warnings and correspondence, no substantive measures have been taken to address the risk.

He said that during a meeting with an EOA official, the position conveyed was that the building should be left to “collapse on its own and be demolished”.

According to Hadjigeorgiou, the building was first classified as dangerous on October 14, 2025, and a fine was threatened at that time if repair works did not begin within six weeks.

Further warnings followed on March 12 and April 30, 2026, yet he said, “no fine has been imposed by the competent authority”.

He said the building has since been fenced off and marked with dangerous building signs, but that no action has prevented staff and customers continuing to use the store, exposing them “to daily danger”.

He is now demanding the immediate imposition of the fine and full action to eliminate the hazard, adding that he had previously submitted a study setting out repair steps, a timetable and alternative scenarios that he says has gone unanswered.

He has warned he will pursue legal action and has copied his complaint to the human rights commissioner Maria Stylianou-Lottides, as well as the independent anti-corruption authority.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, Nicosia EOA president Constantinos Yiorkadjis has said the organisation is aware of the situation and intends to secure parts of the building.

He assured the EOA would follow the matter with further communication with the building’s owner.

The building’s condition was documented in a technical study earlier this year, which found extensive structural damage and weakened concrete below permissible limits, recommending demolition.

A letter from Nicosia municipality described the structure as a “significant health hazard”, citing accumulated rubbish and flammable material, dead pigeons and cats, faeces, stagnant water on the roof and a collapsed ceiling in one of the former screening rooms, along with a significant flea infestation.

The majority owner, which holds more than 70 per cent of the building, has begun demolition procedures, though the process remains at a standstill.

Speaking to Sigma TV, technical chamber (Etek) president Constantinos Constantis has called for mandatory structural inspections, saying “the authorities are always characterised by procrastination and running behind events, instead of proactively operating and correcting an issue for which we have received repeated warnings“.

Hadjigeorgiou has separately argued that the structural study covers only the former cinema areas and not the shops at the front of the building.

Legislation intended to strengthen building safety oversight has been delayed since 2023, with parliament still awaiting its resubmission following consultation with stakeholders.

The Nicosia EOA is at present still awaiting some a €2 million in funds from the interior ministry which was approved to tackle dangerous buildings.

The latest district government register identifies 656 dangerous buildings across Nicosia district, while a further 55 buildings have been classified as requiring repairs.  

Of the buildings considered dangerous, 171 are located within the capital’s municipal boundaries, where another 28 buildings require repairs.