The Larnaca Municipality has launched a tender for an architect and structural engineer to carry out a study and design the works required to restore the historic building of the Municipal Scala Theatre.
The experts are expected to determine the extent of the building's stability problem and propose measures to strengthen it, while also advising on the complete reconstruction of the building, including its existing equipment. The contractor will be faced with a complex task that could take up to a year to complete.
Interested parties have until 6 December to submit their bids. The cost of the tender is estimated at 175,000 euros. The theatre will close in April 2024, after the Larnaca municipality declared it unfit for use. According to preliminary calculations, the building will remain empty for about two or three years until it is modernised and brought into working order.
It should be recalled that Cyprus recently decided to check all buildings for earthquake resistance.
The issue of the urgent need to check the technical condition of residential and commercial buildings was raised because of the powerful earthquake that occurred in Turkey, which affected thousands of people. Incidentally, many buildings in Cyprus have outlived not only their builders, but also entire eras. Nevertheless, the natural ageing process inevitably changes their appearance. Time and the harsh southern climate do not spare properties, especially those located in the historic centres of the island's major cities.
To make matters worse, most property owners are in no hurry to invest in their restoration. As a result, hundreds of buildings in Cyprus are in a state of disrepair.
It must be said that the situation in the villages of Cyprus is much worse than in the urban centres. As of today, the register of dangerous buildings of the Mountain Communities Development Authority lists 826 emergency properties and 47 emergency mothballed buildings. A total of 112 mountain communities are on the list, of which 12 are listed as architectural monuments or under threat.