Cyprus government considers site near Ayios Sozomenos for new prison — Cyprus Mail
The Cypriot government is considering a state-owned plot near the village of Ayios Sozomenos, east of Nicosia, as a possible site for a new central prison. A previous option in Mathiatis was rejected due to high costs and a lack of necessary infrastructure, Cyprus Mail reports.
The project, estimated at around €300 million, is the third iteration in seven months of searching for a location. The current prison in the Ayios Andreas area of Nicosia, built in 1894, holds nearly 1,200 inmates. Its occupancy rate is 227.6%, which, according to the publication, is the highest in the EU.
Studies and preliminary plans
Justice Minister Costas Fytiris presented the parliamentary finance committee with a visualization of a complex featuring four inmate accommodation blocks, a medical unit, a football field, a Christian chapel and a prayer room for Muslims. The following day, he clarified that the images were created using AI and only show which facilities could potentially be included in the complex.
The Justice Ministry stressed that the illustration is not a master plan and does not determine the final layout of the facility. Final decisions will be made after environmental and urban planning studies. The draft budget for next year allocates €1 million for these studies and preparatory work.
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Objections to the new location
The municipalities of South Nicosia-Idalion and Latsia-Geri requested a review of the decision on the site. The Ecologists’ Movement and AKEL also raised concerns: environmentalists said the land is part of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, while AKEL called for studies and consultations with local authorities.
South Nicosia-Idalion Mayor Stavros Hadjiyiannis noted that the area already has two large treatment facilities, a private livestock waste processing facility, sand quarries, pig farms and other livestock facilities. A 132 kV overhead power line also runs through the area.
The municipality does not reject the findings of the future environmental impact assessment, but insists that if the plot is deemed suitable for a prison, the state must simultaneously find another site for the planned livestock zone. The government also promised to place infrastructure in the northern part of the state-owned land, away from archaeological remains, including a Byzantine cave chapel, the unfinished Latin Church of Saint Mamas and the remains of Turkish Cypriot houses.
According to Fytiris’ estimate, construction could take from four to five years, with work planned to begin by the end of next year.
