Nine major Nicosia developments and their anticipated impact on jobs and commuting

Increased commuting, population redistribution and new jobs are expected to result from the major new developments on track to be implemented within the next few years.

A strategic environmental impact study for the implementation of the Nicosia Sustainable Mobility Plan, which aims to improve mobility and the quality of life in the wider urban area of ​​the city of Nicosia, has taken into account population movements and the creation or transfer of places of work from one location to another.

More specifically, as the Plan mentions, in the context of the assessment of the population and jobs, a total of nine important developments should be taken into account, which will be built before 2030 and are expected to generate and attract movement due to either the creation of jobs/housing or workplaces moving to a new facility from another location.

• Redevelopment of the old GSP Stadium

The project, which is expected to be completed in 2024, is located in the central business district of Nicosia and will connect the new city with the historic core of Nicosia, contributing to the upgrading of the urban environment and promoting sustainable urban mobility, while providing an important space for greenery and the recreation for both the residents of Nicosia and visitors.

The project includes the construction of two underground parking levels that will be connected to the public bus system and will act as a parking and commuting area, promoting sustainable mobility in Nicosia.

It also includes the creation of a plaza, restaurants, galleries, bookshop, multi-purpose hall and cafes as well as an outdoor amphitheatre and is expected, according to the traffic impact assessment study, to have 154 arrivals and 72 departures during the afternoon peak.

The corners of the space are raised to street level forming the restaurant spaces, while all the surfaces of the roof will be planted offering visitors the enjoyment of an attractive green space in the heart of the city.

• "Landmark" Mixed Development

The project includes the renovation and upgrading of The Landmark Nicosia hotel into a luxury hotel, while two towers with office facilities and 53 apartments will be constructed in the outdoor area of ​​the hotel. The project is expected to be completed within 2025.

The facility anticipates 312 arrivals and 81 departures during the morning peak, while 193 arrivals and 592 departures are expected during the afternoon peak.

Entry and exit to/from the facility will only be by left-handed turns on Makarios Avenue and Kennedy Avenue.

• New Archaeological Museum

The new Archaeological Museum is located on the site of the old Nicosia general hospital, opposite the House of Representatives and occupies an area of ​​40,000 square meters.

The new Museum will include, in addition to the permanent exhibition and periodical exhibition spaces, educational program areas, conservation workshops, underground parking for 100 cars and seven bus bays on the ground floor, warehouses, recreation areas, a library, an auditorium and offices.

The project is anticipated to be built in 2026 and the 40-50 employees who will work in the existing Museum on Mikis Theodorakis Street (former Museum Street) will be transferred to the new building.

• New Jumbo store in Strovolos

The new Jumbo store in Strovolos, on the site of the old headquarters of the Stefanides Group, will have, according to the Environmental Impact Assessment Study, a sales area of ​​10,476 sq.m. and 331 parking spaces, storage areas and offices.

The store is expected to be completed within 2024. During the afternoon peak, 202 arrivals and 175 departures are expected, while the entrance and exit to/from the facility will be made through anti-clockwise movements on the B1 road.

• Government ministry premises

The project includes the construction of two ministries in the parking lot opposite the Secretariat. The new buildings will house the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, the Press and Information Office, the Cyprus Library, the Academy of Letters and Arts and there will also be an open space for recreation.

The project is expected to be completed in 2027 and 326 employees will be transferred from the existing buildings of the Ministry of Health, while 126 employees will be transferred for the Transport Ministry. The future traffic with the development is similar to the future traffic without the development as there is open parking available on the lot, while with the development, this space will be removed.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice and Public Order will be transferred to the Municipality of Aglandjia, in the wider area of ​​the Police Headquarters, at the junction of CyBC (Rik) and Academia avenues. The employees who will be transferred from the existing buildings number 136 and a total of 145 parking spaces will be provided. Access to the facilities will be from unmarked roads on the north and west sides of the plot.

• Separation of a piece of Kykkos Monastery annex land

The project includes the division of plot 879 of the Holy Monastery of Kykkos into plots, which will be allocated for the development of various types of uses, such as commercial, office, tourism, residential, leisure, medical and education, while including an area available as public green space and community equipment.

Overall, the project is expected to be completed in 2035 but by 2030, only one hospital will be in operation (year of construction 2025) with an estimated 140 arrivals and 40 departures in the morning and 119 arrivals and 205 departures in the afternoon peak. Access to the plot will be at four points (with counter-clockwise movements) on Grivas Digenis, Archangelou, Yannos Kranidiotis and Macedonia avenues.

• New Land Registry buildings

The development concerns the construction and operation of a five-storey building with an area of ​​6,940 sq.m. with two basements of 2,300 sq.m. each for 103 parking spaces and warehouses.

In addition, the development will include the creation of two open-air car parks with 142 parking spaces for staff and 30 parking spaces for visitors.

250 employees will be transferred to the facility from the existing buildings of the Land Registry. During the morning rush hour 07:15 – 08:15 it is estimated that 90% of staff and 10% of visitors will enter the service, i.e. a total of 228 vehicles.

• New State Chemistry

The project concerns the construction of a new State Chemistry near the Psychiatric Clinic of Athalassa.

Construction is expected to be completed between 2028 and 2029, and 180 workers will be transferred from the existing buildings to the new facilities.

• Multi-storey mixed development by Logicom

The proposed project is located south of the city of Nicosia at a distance of a few meters from the Limassol-Nicosia highway, within the parish of Apostolos Varnavas and Ayios Makarios between the A1 highway and the Municipality of Strovolos’s Stavrou Avenue.

The development concerns the construction and operation of a multi-storey building, which will mainly consist of luxury office facilities, some apartments, ancillary facilities such as a gym, exhibition space, meeting room, restaurant, cafeteria, kitchen, bar, infrastructure and parking spaces.

The proposed project will serve Logicom, which wants to locate its offices and operations in the area.

The facility anticipates 201 arrivals and 10 departures during the morning peak, while in the afternoon 124 arrivals and 275 departures are expected.

Population change and new jobs

In the basic version of the nine major developments, estimates of the population and jobs where they will be created have been introduced. The table below shows the data on the population and jobs per municipality.

Overall, the population in the capital's key boroughs and communities is expected to exceed 307,500 in 2030, an increase of 7% on 2021 (287,402), while jobs are expected to increase by 16.7% to 167,675 from 143,729 in 2021.

Indicatively, the population in the Municipality of Nicosia is expected to reach 58,387 people by 2030, recording an increase of 3.4% compared to 2021 (56,487) and creating the need for a total of 85,488 jobs, increased by 16.3% compared to in 2021 (75,503).

With the new developments, in the Municipality of Strovolos, the population is estimated to increase by 4.3% in 2030, reaching 73,587 inhabitants from 70,586 in 2021, with estimated jobs reaching 34,330 from 29,308 in 2021, an increase of 17.1%.

The population in the Municipality of Lakatamia is estimated to reach 49,134 people in 2030, recording an increase of 12.9% compared to 2021 (43,537), with the estimated number of jobs reaching 7,000 from 6,060 in 2021, an increase of 15.5%

The largest population increase (16.4%) is expected to be recorded in the Municipality of Engomi, with 25,463 inhabitants in 2030 from 21,878 in 2021. In fact, for Engomi the estimated jobs will rise to 10,430 from 8,854 in 2021, marking an increase of 17.8%.

The largest positive change (+20.4%) in jobs is expected in the Municipality of Aglandjia, where 9,464 jobs are expected in 2030 compared to 7,861 in 2021, with the population increasing by 7.6% to 24,188 residents compared to 22,489 in 2021.

On the other hand, the population residing in the Anthoupoli Refugee Housing is expected to decrease by almost half, falling to 769 inhabitants from 1,519 in 2021.

More journeys due to the developments

Total journeys in Nicosia will also increase due to the new major developments, which are on track to be implemented by 2030. Using the trip generation and trip distribution models in the zones, the Study assesses daily trips by purpose.

Overall, a 13.3% increase in journeys taken on a typical day in the year 2030 is projected compared to the 2022.

(Source: InBusinessNews)