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- It argues EU-funded projects follow structured procedures if sustainability requirements are breached, rejecting claims of immediate funding loss.
- The platform urges controlled private vehicle access, saying residents, shopkeepers and small businesses want restored transport connectivity.
- It says the vehicle ban has isolated the area, hurt shops and small businesses, and shifted traffic onto alternative routes.
- The platform calls for reopening Makariou Avenue to vehicles and converting its southern section into a two-way road.
The Common Action Platform for Revitalising the Urban Commercial Core of Every City says any recorded reduction in vehicles in the wider Nicosia centre is not evidence of the success of the Makariou Avenue project, but the result of what it describes as the “artificial decline” of the area caused by poor decisions by the authorities.
Responding to arguments that reopening the road to controlled private vehicle traffic could lead to the loss of European funding, the platform said EU-funded urban infrastructure projects are subject to established procedures if they deviate from agreed sustainability requirements.
It argued that the process does not involve immediate or arbitrary sanctions, but follows a structured mechanism that allows member states to respond and rectify any identified issues.
Platform calls for controlled vehicle access
The platform said allowing controlled private vehicle access would reflect the views of residents, shopkeepers and small-business owners who want to restore transport connectivity in the city centre.
It said Makariou Avenue, together with Anastasiou G. Leventi Street (formerly Leonidou Street), has traditionally served as the main traffic route to and from the walled city and Solomou Square, the main gateway to the historic centre.
“The complete ban on vehicles led to the area’s traffic isolation,” the platform said, arguing that instead of connecting the historic commercial core with the modern Commercial Triangle, the project fragmented the capital’s centre.
It claimed this had contributed to financial losses for shops and small businesses and a dramatic decline in turnover.
“Traffic has simply been diverted”
The platform also rejected claims that closing the road provides a significant environmental benefit.
It argued that vehicles are instead diverted onto alternative and more complicated routes, shifting and increasing traffic elsewhere.
“Any recorded reduction in vehicles in the wider centre is not due to the success of the Makariou project, but to the artificial decline of the area,” it said.
According to the platform, the fall in traffic reflects reduced visitor numbers, population, employment and commercial and business activity.
At the same time, it stressed that the main infrastructure elements of the redevelopment remain intact, including wider pavements, tree planting and the project’s bioclimatic design.
Claims over empty shops and rents
The platform also disputed comments by the Nicosia Mayor about the condition of the city centre.
It said only 42 shops, including leisure venues, and two banks are currently operating along the avenue, while two high-rise construction projects are active.
By contrast, it claimed there are 48 closed or vacant shops and that, including premises inside shopping centres along Makariou Avenue, two out of every three shops remain vacant.
Shopkeepers in the Historic Centre and on Makariou Avenue also rejected the Mayor’s claim that high rents are responsible for vacant premises.
They argued that rents in shopping malls are considerably higher, while some available premises on Makariou Avenue are advertised for less than €10 per square metre. The general average, they said, does not exceed €30 per square metre.
The group also alleged that a particular group of interests is seeking to keep the avenue closed to vehicles while demanding rents of around €50 per square metre, which it said distorts the picture of the local market.
Calls for avenue to reopen
The platform described reopening Makariou Avenue as the key to ending what it called the transport “confinement” of the wider Historic Commercial Core and pedestrian areas.
It called for the immediate implementation of the Municipal Council’s decision to reopen the avenue to vehicles.
It also called for the southern section of Makariou Avenue to be converted into a two-way road, reversing the current one-way arrangement.
The platform argued that the traffic measures could be fully reversed if necessary.
“If the European Commission ultimately rejects the city’s arguments and finds a violation, the existing controlled-traffic arrangements can be reinstated immediately,” it said, arguing that the risk of permanently losing European funding would therefore be extremely remote.
The Common Action Platform comprises several associations representing Nicosia shopkeepers, residents, property owners and small businesses, as well as groups representing businesses and residents in Limassol’s historic commercial centre and the Pancyprian Association of Leisure Centre Owners (PASIKA).
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