The solution of the former Oroklini Community Council (photo) is oriented by the Municipality of Larnaca to house the departments of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, as long as it is not possible in time to declassify from forest state land the plot where the Versatile Multipurpose Social Welfare and Employment Center (the former community center) is built. And this is because, according to the existing legislation, the construction and operation of schools and university institutions is not allowed in a piece of land that is considered “state forest land”.
The mayor of Larnaca, Andreas Vyras, told “P” that regarding the issue of the declassification of the land where the Versatile Social Welfare Center is located (it is the first choice for the housing of university schools) a meeting has been requested with the Minister of Education and the response of Athena Michailidou is expected. However, because time is pressing, as Kapodistriakou’s intention is to start the start of study programs for two faculties of the university by September, the municipal authority is already working on Plan B for this matter. If, therefore, it is not possible to declassify the plot where the Multipurpose Polychoros is located from forest land, then the Municipality of Larnaca will turn to the solution of the former Oroklinis community council. Mr. Vyras mentioned that, a week ago, the Municipality of Larnaca submitted to the Department of Urban Planning a request for a change of use of the building in question, so that it could be declassified from a community building and considered a university institution, in order to be able to accommodate the schools of the Kapodistrian University.
“The Kapodistrian University insists and wants to start study courses in Larnaca next September. We have to find a solution, either to achieve the declassification of the piece of the Multi-Dynamos Polychorus from forest land or the change of use of the former Oroklini Community Hall to a university institution”, noted the mayor of Larnaca. As has been announced, the National Kapodistrian University of Athens is planning the operation of the Department of Port and Shipping Management in Larnaca, as well as the Department of Psychology of the School of Philosophy. These are study programs that have been certified with excellence by the competent certification body in Greece, while their evaluation and certification has also been completed by the competent certification body of Cyprus (DIPAE).
And with Metsovio
However, apart from the Kapodistrian University, the Municipality of Larnaca is also in consultation with the National Technical University of Athens in order to transfer its study programs, while contacts are also being made with the University of Thessaly. At the same time, in the plans of the municipal Authority is the ambitious plan to create a Drama School of THOK. At the same time, the first student residences, which will be taken over by the Nikos and Despina Pattihis Foundation, are being planned. The student dormitories were decided to be built by the municipality on land owned by the mentioned institution on Pavlou Valdaseridis Street, close to the city center. The residences are intended for the students of the School of Marine Sciences, Technology and Sustainable Development of the Cyprus University of Technology, which is planned to operate in the coming years. The Municipality of Larnaca is expected to soon announce the tender for the construction of the building of the university in question, which will be located in the Mackenzie area.