The construction of a new building to house the Nicosia District Court will be completed in five years.
This was announced on Wednesday, March 13, after a meeting of the House of Representatives Legal Committee by the head of the Cypriot Ministry of Transport, Communications and Public Works, Alexis Vafiades.
He noted that the procedures for the construction of the new courthouse have advanced, all preliminary works have been completed and the initial estimate for the project has been made. Vafiades emphasized that his ministry is currently thinking about where a second driveway to the site can be included in the plan, so it has already contacted the Public Works Department for consultations. The minister also mentioned the need to update the project budget to reduce the cost of the project. The question will soon be taken up with the City Planning Department and then the agency will announce an architectural competition.
The construction of a new building to house the District Court of Nicosia was to begin in the first half of 2023.
The facility was designed in accordance with the most modern technical and energy characteristics. According to the release, the total area of the facility was 27 thousand m2 and the basement area was 17 thousand m2.
A plot north of the Nicosia District Court building, which is functioning today, was allocated for the construction. According to the plan, it was supposed to house the departments of civil, criminal, administrative, and property courts, economic, family, military, and commercial courts, rent control courts, and labor courts, as well as a library and a cafeteria.
However, the project has faced some difficulties due to the high cost of implementation. Many officials were against spending a huge amount of money to construct a building for government agencies. After long debates, it was decided to reduce the project costs.
It is worth mentioning that the old courthouse was built in 1919. Today it is not able to meet the needs of the increased number of employees. The need to build a new facility appeared back in 1985. However, since then, the matter has not progressed beyond talk. Finally, with the approval of the Council of Ministers of the proposal of the Minister of Justice and Public Order, the first step was taken towards the creation of a grandiose project - the new building of the District Court of Nicosia.