Visitors to one of Larnaca's most popular seafront promenades, Piale Pasha, will have to be patient.
A section of the seafront walkway has once again damaged the concrete safety fence and has been closed to the public. This is due to the strong waves that are common here.
Despite the fact that the tourist season is already in full swing and traffic on the promenade has increased significantly, the damaged section will remain in an unsatisfactory state for a long time to come, spoiling the overall impression of one of the city's most picturesque places.
Larnaca mayor Andreas Viras commented on the situation the other day. He said that the contractor was awaiting the delivery of specialist building materials from abroad, which are needed to fully restore the damaged section. According to him, all the repairs will be completed within three weeks. Viras assured that the promenade will soon be completely safe and comfortable to walk on.
The Mayor of Larnaca apologised to residents and tourists for the temporary inconvenience and stressed that the main objective of the local authorities is not only to repair the defect, but also to ensure the durability and stability of the structure in the coastal environment.
It should be recalled that the Piale Pasha low coastal plateau has been facing a serious problem of corrosion of the concrete protection wall for several years.
It has large cracks almost along its entire length, from the medieval castle to the end of the pedestrian street. In some places, the corrosion is so severe that pieces of concrete have fallen off due to moisture and large waves. The promenade was renovated in 2014. Just 6 years after the project was commissioned, the first problems began to appear, possibly due to errors or omissions in the construction of the new promenade. At the end of 2023, the Larnaca municipality decided to renovate the promenade. The works were carried out in 2024. However, as it turned out, it was not done properly.
It should be mentioned that last year Larnaca also completed the restoration and improvement of the facades of Piale Pasha seafront. The architectural design for the project was developed by ARMON SPACE ARCHITECTURAL E.P.E. and the realisation of the grandiose idea was entrusted to the company ΚΕ.ΠΑ.ΜΑ. The contractor's task was to renovate the windows, doors and balconies of the houses, as well as to repair and paint the facades of all the buildings on Piale Pasha Street. The key colours chosen were indigo, ochre and its shades, yellow, burgundy and terracotta.
The project cost 1.1 million euros. The funds for the modernisation of the street were provided by the European Union, the Cyprus Government and the Larnaca Municipality. Piale Pasha is the first thing tourists see when they arrive in Larnaca. Therefore, it was crucial for the municipality to improve the aesthetic appearance of the coastal part of the city.
