Larnaca municipality will have to continue to live in a small building on the Finikoudes seafront.
On Thursday 28 November, it was reported that the project to renovate the old hospital for the municipality had been frozen.
The municipality put the responsibility on the State Health Organisation (OKYpY). It turns out that the agency's employees have still not left the building. Moreover, OKYpY cannot give an exact date when they will move into the new wing of Larnaca Central Hospital. The contractor building the building is unable to give a completion date.
According to OKYpY, the delay in the construction of the first floor of the new wing is due to the contractor's inability to fulfil its obligations. This raises the serious possibility that the contract may be terminated. If this happens, the plans of the Larnaca Municipality for the future Town Hall may not be realised in the foreseeable future. The restoration of the old hospital building has been delayed as it cannot start until the premises are completely vacated by the staff.
Larnaca Municipality is considering legal action against OKYpY. The main argument is that the property cannot be used legally once it has been handed over. There is also the issue of the increase in the estimated cost of renovating the old building due to the increase in the price of labour and building materials.
It should be remembered that the first structures of the old hospital building were erected in 1900.
In 1933-1934, thanks to the donations of Evanthia Pieridou, two new wings were added to the medical centre. The great philanthropist, who died in 1934, donated a huge amount of money and her entire estate to Larnaca. She bequeathed her famous seaside villa to the city on the condition that the proceeds from its rental be used for the needs of Larnaca Hospital.
Over the years, various mayors of Larnaca have tried to negotiate with the state to give the old hospital building to the town hall. However, no one wanted to bear the cost of moving the few medical services that were located on the ground floor of the hospital. In addition, the will stipulated that the building should only be used as a hospital. In the end, this issue was resolved. Yes, and the heirs of the Pieridis family agreed to have the Town Hall there.
In April 2022, Larnaca Municipality signed a contract with the Ministry of Interior for the lease of the historic building of the old hospital. According to the contract, the municipality was granted the use of two plots of land as well as the historic building. However, the grand plans to modernise the premises never got off the ground. The city hall was supposed to move into the new building at the end of 2025. However, this does not seem to be happening yet.
