Shops still operating beneath dangerous former Othello cinema complex

MPs on the House audit committee called on Thursday for an independent expert to decide on the fate of the former Othello cinema in Engomi, Nicosia, after hearing that shops still trade on its ground floor despite the building being declared dangerous. The committee asked the Nicosia local government organisation (EOA) to study the building’s condition so that appropriate measures can be taken, and will return the matter to its agenda. Committee vice chairman and Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvides remarked that it was “strange” that a building classified as dangerous remained in use. “We demand that the problem be solved immediately,” he said. Alma MP Irene Charalambides, who proposed the inquiry with party leader Odysseas Michaelides, described the site as a “health and safety bomb” and decried the EOA for having handled the case for a year and a half without a solution. Akel MP Christos Christofides stressed that the “there cannot be a dangerous building in the centre of Nicosia”, calling for fines or mediation between owners. Agathoklis Agathokleous, a civil engineer who oversees dangerous buildings at the EOA, said the declaration followed a visual inspection. “It is plainly dangerous for those who are either inside or outside the premises”, he said. He rejected claims of delay and said the EOA presently handles some 1,400 dangerous buildings, 800 of which have more than 20 owners. Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos said the problem had existed for two decades and that municipal staff inspected the site on August 19, 2024, and found appalling conditions. He said health officials cannot enter a building declared dangerous to clean it. “If it is entirely dangerous, I wonder how shops can even operate there,” he remarked. Both the interior ministry and health services recused themselves of responsibility for the matter, insisting that it was under the auspices of the EOA. A private civil engineer inspected the former Othello cinema in September last year after a complaint and found severely cracked and deteriorated concrete. Owners were told that October and again last March that studies and measures were needed. With little action taken and difficulty reaching the co-owners, the EOA fenced off parts of the site, including the rear and car park. A Nicosia municipal assessment found stagnant water and a flea infestation inside, with a later study undertaken this year finding extensive structural damage and recommended demolition. The holder of the property’s largest share, around 85 per cent according to Savvides, is in favour of the site’s demolition. Michalis Panteli, who owns three shops on the premises, said experts from the technical chamber (Etek) actually found the concrete in excellent condition, citing the €700,000 restoration undertaken by business owners there in 2021. Andreas Hadjigeorgiou, who likewise runs a business there, said owners had asked the municipality to act since 2015 and that trade had fallen dramatically once warning signs went up. Vasilis Hadjigeorgiou, from the same business, argued that the structural study covers only the former cinema areas and not the front shops.