Polemidia enters new era with universities and major projects

Economy developmentsLimassolTop Newsuniversities Polemidia enters new era with universities and major projects Polemidia Thema Matz Relevant News Green light for Androlykou quarry expansion, under strict conditions 10 August 2026 Polemidia enters new era with universities and major projects 10 August 2026 Christodoulides’ ‘DISYAKEL’ jibe enrages opposition ahead of 2028 10 August 2026 Ioanna Mantzipa 10 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Polemidia is today among the fastest-growing areas of Limassol, with major private and public investment gradually reshaping the character of the municipality. Activity at Verengaria, the creation of student residences and new university facilities, new residential zones and significant commercial investment are together creating a new landscape. At the same time, this expansion comes with serious challenges, chief among them traffic, infrastructure needs, housing and the day-to-day management of the municipality. In an interview with Phileleftheros, Polemidia Mayor Andros Theodorou set out his vision for the municipality and explained why he believes Polemidia can grow into a university town. He also addressed the challenges created by such rapid change, above all traffic, which he described as one of the biggest problems facing the Limassol district today and one that directly affects Polemidia. “I’ve said many times that Polemidia is a municipality of growth. What we have in front of us today is genuinely enormous,” Theodorou said, adding that this extends across the whole municipality, from Verengaria and the livestock area to the commercial zones. The projects under way span both the private and public sectors, with investment in school units, university facilities and other specialised uses. These include the Verengaria area, the livestock area, the port’s vertical access road, and commercial projects such as those on Macedonia Avenue, Nikou Pattichi Street and the area bordering the supermarket on Pafou Street. “There are major projects under way around CUT, but also around the hospital, where there is interest in creating private universities,” Theodorou said. The mayor believes this activity brings significant benefits to the municipality, boosting revenue and creating the conditions for greater financial autonomy. “When there are projects like these, there is revenue for the municipality. Our goal is to become a more self-sufficient municipality, so we can respond better to our residents’ needs.” Polemidia as an education hub Central to the municipality’s new image is the Verengaria area, which is developing into an education centre. “Our goal is for the Municipality of Polemidia to become a university campus. We already have the Verengaria area, where the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) has built 502 student residences. There will also be schools of Agricultural Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, as well as the ‘Eratosthenes’ Research and Studies Centre.” There is scope for further investment in the area, Theodorou said. “The Municipality is working with CUT and the state on further use of the area. We believe more schools could be hosted there.” Education projects are also expanding further north, with construction of a Jewish school expected to accommodate around 2,500 people, while there is also interest in land north of the new hospital, where large plots are available. “There are large plots that private universities are looking for. A project like this needs large areas of land, and there is already interest from private parties.” At the same time, Theodorou said, an application for preliminary views has been submitted to the DLGO for a large private education project in the House & Garden area, covering a primary school, gymnasium and lyceum. Traffic: the biggest infrastructure challenge Growth in Polemidia is generating new infrastructure needs, with traffic now the biggest problem. “We have disorderly development across Limassol, not just in Polemidia. Perhaps right now, as we speak, we’re feeling this quite intensely as a municipality. Traffic will certainly be the biggest problem.” Theodorou said construction of the Northern Bypass is a key priority. “All of us mayors have agreed that our first goal is construction of the Northern Bypass. For Polemidia, a large part of this concerns Synergatismou Street, which runs to Evagora Lanitis Street and also to the new Technical School.” He also pointed to the importance of opening Anthoupolis. “We are very close to opening Anthoupolis in September. It’s a project that has been in the pipeline for 20 years, and it may be the most advanced project we have ahead of us today.” The aim, he said, is to give solutions to residents facing daily transport problems. “We will give solutions to people who today are stuck because of the Paphos bypass road, in the Anthoupolis area but also across much of Ypsonas, particularly during peak hours.” Parking and the need for new infrastructure Growth in Polemidia is creating additional demand, particularly for parking. The municipality is examining solutions, mainly around Evangelistria, where increased traffic is expected because of the new university facilities. “There are some plots inside Verengaria that border Panagia Evangelistria. We’re thinking of requesting them from the state, and working with CUT to create parking spaces to serve the area, the projects and visitors.” Theodorou also referred to the parking area being created on the site of the former Verengaria biological treatment plant. “The park-and-ride is being built in our municipality, on the site of the former Verengaria biological station, and I hope it will serve a good number of people. At the same time, we’re trying to find other spaces in the surrounding areas outside the Polemidia town centre, such as around Macedonia, to create parking and help with the traffic problem.” Cleanliness the biggest problem Beyond traffic, the mayor described cleanliness as the biggest issue currently facing the municipality. “From the first moment we took office, I and the whole municipal council have worked collectively to develop this municipality. The biggest problem we face today is cleanliness.” Despite the municipality’s efforts, he said, uncontrolled dumping of prunings and bulky waste continues to cause problems. “Even though we have green points and a municipal service that can collect rubble or prunings every day, unfortunately it doesn’t help. We clean an area today, and the same day there’s rubble and prunings again.” Theodorou said the municipality has significantly strengthened its cleaning effort. “We have three trucks, and all three are full every day. They go to Skyra Vasas almost twice a day to deposit material at the green points. Many times, the municipality does nothing else but clean.” Funding remains a separate concern. He noted that local government reform has increased municipalities’ responsibilities without corresponding financial support. “The responsibilities we’ve taken on since the reform have increased significantly, and the money the state has given us is much less than what our obligations require. It isn’t our goal for the reform to succeed through tax increases. We want it to succeed, and the state has an obligation to support the municipalities.” Merging Upper and Lower Polemidia Among the positive aspects of the reform, the mayor pointed to the merger of the two districts. “The positive is that services have merged. We’re fortunate, because we got the Upper Polemidia district.” Upper Polemidia has particular problems, he explained, being largely made up of refugee settlements, with a number of homes left abandoned because of ownership and inheritance issues. “There are problems, because several homes are abandoned, either because the owners have died or because there are inheritance issues and the relatives aren’t interested in making use of them.” Despite these difficulties, Theodorou described the merger as a natural development, since the two areas essentially form a single geographic unit. “Where the boundaries of Kato Polemidia Municipality end, the boundaries of Pano Polemidia begin. With the merger, we can plan and deliver projects more comprehensively.” On further investment in the area, he said a key priority is changing the Local Plan and increasing building coefficients in Pano Polemidia. “Our goal is to give young couples, and especially families under financial pressure, the chance to make use of their properties and build one or more additional floors. The coefficient today is 70%. I believe we can raise it to 100%, so we can attract young people back to the area.” Relocating the livestock area Relocating the existing livestock area is another major undertaking for the municipality. “By the end of 2027, a number of livestock farmers who want to leave the profession will be compensated. There is a state plan that will pay these people around €900,000.” For those who want to remain in the profession, Theodorou said, work on the new livestock zone needs to proceed. “The state needs to speed up the expropriation of land for the new livestock zone toward the Vati area, so that those who want to stay in the profession can be relocated.” New residential development Meanwhile, the old livestock area is being converted into a new residential zone. “About 12 to 13 homes have already been built. A private individual has also divided around 200 plots, and there are already buyers who have submitted applications for permits to the DLGO.” The mayor said this new development will require early planning. “If we assume each home will have two vehicles, in 10 to 15 years there will be a huge problem unless the necessary infrastructure is built.” Turkish Cypriot plots and the housing problem One of the most significant issues affecting the municipality’s growth is the large share of Turkish Cypriot-owned plots. “About 60% of the municipality is Turkish Cypriot plots. This creates problems for rational development, because Greek Cypriot properties are often enclosed by Turkish Cypriot ones.” Theodorou said he has submitted proposals to the President of the Republic and the Interior Minister on making use of this land. “Many of these plots are at the heart of Polemidia and could be given to poor families and refugee families, so that prefabricated homes could be built and part of the housing problem solved.” Housing costs have become one of Limassol’s biggest problems, he said. “A high-specification prefabricated house can cost up to €70,000. Today, buying a house approaches half a million euros, and an apartment €300,000. A young couple struggles both to buy and to rent.” The mayor stressed that changes to land use are needed to make better use of available property. “It can’t be that in 2026, in the centre of Polemidia or on a road as important as the Northern Bypass, there are plots that remain agricultural. Housing solutions need to be provided, and land use changed where necessary.” In closing, he said utilising these plots could form a significant part of the solution. “With our proposals, solutions can be provided and the housing problem largely resolved.” Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Green light for Androlykou quarry expansion, under strict conditions Christodoulides’ ‘DISYAKEL’ jibe enrages opposition ahead of 2028 Holguin leaves Turkey out of the picture, Nicosia pushes back Cyprus to pay interconnector dues once Greece issues survey notice Netanyahu says Israel won’t pull out of Gaza before Hamas disarms Cyprus Paralympian says intruder broke into her Limassol home and stole scooter Motorcyclist arrested after police chase in Larnaca Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.