Questions remain regarding the suitability of the plot of land in Agios Sozomenos, where it was decided to build the new Central Prison. The preliminary draft plan for the new Central Prison facilities, which was presented yesterday to the Finance Committee during the presentation of the Ministry of Justice’s budget, is not the final master plan.
However, speaking on the “Alpha Kalimera” program, the Mayor of South Nicosia–Idali, Stavros Hatzigiannis, stated that nothing had been officially presented to the mayors whose municipalities would be affected.
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READ ALSO: Sports field, clinic, and prayer rooms: What the Ministry’s draft plan for the new prisons includes
Stavros Hatzigiannis, Mayor of South Nicosia–Idali: “We weren’t
presented with anything—again, we learned about it from the press. We need to take this seriously; we’re talking about an AI-generated image, which I imagine was put together quickly. We were discussing the other day that an environmental impact assessment and other technical studies need to be conducted to determine whether the Agios Sozomenos site is suitable. We don’t believe anything has changed. The Minister simply wanted to provide some information so people could get a general idea of what the prisons might look like, while we, for our part, believe that the plot of land below remains up in the air. If we’re discussing where the plot of land might be, we don’t know. Because we’re discussing that a series of studies needs to be conducted to determine whether the plot is suitable. So nothing has been finalized yet.”
For his part, however, Minister of Justice Konstantinos Fytiris promised that the final decision on the plans will be made after the necessary studies have been conducted.
READ ALSO: “It’s AI”: What Fytiris Says About the Plan for the New Prisons He Presented to Parliament
Regarding the location for the construction of the new central prison, the Minister said that Agios Sozomenos is the priority, however, he has made a commitment to the affected municipalities that as soon as he has something concrete, he will present it to them first to hear their views, suggestions, and objections.
Stavros Hatzigiannis, Mayor of South Nicosia–Idali
“The fact that a mock-up was released to the press yesterday, showing roughly what the central prison will look like, happened without us having finalized and secured the site, without the necessary studies having been conducted and made public, and without us having a precise design. They must invite the mayors whose municipalities will be affected.”
READ ALSO: With a chapel and a mosque: Here are the plans for the new Central Prisons in the Nicosia District
