Fasouri area sets for 4,500-pupil education and sports campus

A master plan formally submitted under the name “Fasouri School”, and described in accompanying technical documents as the “Fasouri Academy and Sports Hub”, is being examined by the authorities for a major educational and sporting development in Kato Polemidia. The two names refer to the same proposed campus, rather than separate projects. “Fasouri School” is the formal umbrella name used in the environmental application, while “Fasouri Academy and Sports Hub” appears as a descriptive project name in supporting technical material. Despite the singular “School” in the application title, the proposal is not for one conventional school. It envisages three autonomous school units, identified at this stage as Schools A, B and C, alongside an extensive shared sports centre. Each school is planned to accommodate about 1,500 pupils and provide education from pre-primary level through primary, middle and secondary school. Together, the three units would serve 4,500 students, supported by an estimated 145 teaching, administrative and other staff. The facilities would include classrooms, science laboratories, libraries and dedicated areas for art and music education. The combined internal covered area of the school buildings is estimated at approximately 26,301 square metres. The project owner named in the application is Hopeland Investments Ltd. Publicly available corporate information and supporting project documents indicate that the applicant is connected to one of the largest international companies operating from Cyprus. The formal application, however, identifies Hopeland Investments as the owner and applicant without presenting the wider company as the project developer. The architectural master plan was prepared by Fereos Architects. The environmental application covers cadastral land of approximately 360,064 square metres. After allowing for roads and other adjustments, the project’s net development area is given as 307,844 square metres. The application is currently at the environmental screening stage. It was submitted to the department of environment through the director of the department of town planning and housing in April 2026. Planning approval is being sought for the master plan as a whole. Approval would not, by itself, authorise the construction of every building. Separate planning and building permit applications would subsequently be required for the schools, sporting facilities and other individual components. Construction is expected to take about nine years following the granting of the necessary permits. The development would be divided into three phases lasting approximately three years each. The first phase would include the internal road network, basic infrastructure, School A, the sports centre, swimming pool, wastewater treatment system and utility installations. School B would follow during the second phase, with School C completing the development during the third. No final construction cost has been provided. The official environmental documentation states that the estimated cost has not yet been determined. The proposed sports hub is extensive. It includes a multipurpose indoor hall, football and tennis courts, a swimming pool, athletics track, gym, basketball courts and facilities for squash and padel. Changing rooms, rehabilitation spaces and other supporting areas are also included. The outdoor sports courts would occupy approximately 15,918 square metres, while the swimming-pool area would cover about 3,330 square metres. Under certain conditions, some facilities could also be made available to the wider public, extending the project’s role beyond the student population. The transport plan provides for 643 car-parking spaces and 57 bus spaces. A traffic impact assessment has already been prepared but remains subject to examination by the department of public works. Access is proposed through the Limassol Port vertical road and Odysseas Georgiou Avenue. The principal planning question concerns the environmental status of the land. Most of the site lies within the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Areas and is classified as Zone Z1, a protection zone covering areas of natural, archaeological and landscape importance. A tree survey recorded 10,707 trees across the affected plots, primarily pomegranate, mandarin and cypress trees. The plan proposes retaining 3,624 fruit trees and removing 7,083 existing trees. As compensation, 2,800 new trees would be planted, including 1,738 cypress trees, 689 pine trees and 373 trees suitable for urban landscaping. Even after the proposed planting, the site would have 4,283 fewer trees than at present. The developer’s environmental study states that the project is outside a formally protected area and that no protected habitats or species were identified within the development site. The closest protected wildlife and habitat areas are reported to be around 1.1 kilometres to the south. These findings have not yet resulted in a final environmental determination by the authorities. Water supply arrangements also remain to be finalised. Consultation with the municipality and the water development department is expected during the later permitting stages. An underground tertiary wastewater treatment plant, with an estimated capacity of 100 cubic metres per day, is proposed, with treated water reused for irrigation. The project comes as western Limassol and the wider Fasouri area undergo significant development. Fasouri Watermania, My Mall Limassol and City of Dreams Mediterranean are already operating nearby, while Limassol Greens and several large residential developments are proposed or under assessment.