Government selects Ayios Sozomenos site for new central prison

Nicosia, Cyprus. The government has abandoned plans to build a new central prison in Mathiatis and selected a state-owned plot in the abandoned village of Ayios Sozomenos, the justice ministry announced on Tuesday.

The ministry said the new location was chosen on cost and time criteria and would not delay preparatory work on the project’s design and financing.

Site selection

The decision followed a meeting at the justice ministry attended by Justice Minister Costas Fitiris and representatives of relevant government services.

Officials reviewed progress in procedures completed to date and outlined the next stages of the project, which the ministry said was now proceeding with its siting in the Ayios Sozomenos area.

Mathiatis had initially been the preferred location. However, further technical examinations found that construction there would require substantial additional infrastructure, including a new road network, sewage and water systems, and electricity infrastructure.

The ministry said these requirements would have increased both the cost and the time needed to complete the project.

Infrastructure advantages

According to the ministry, the Ayios Sozomenos plot has access to road, sewage, water and electricity infrastructure in the surrounding area, reducing the cost and time required to prepare and deliver the project.

The ministry said the evaluation and selection of the new site would not affect preparatory work already under way for the prison’s design and financing.

“The government’s goal is to create a modern prison complex in the most economical, fastest and most functional way, without compromising on security requirements, functionality and modern standards of prison institutions,” the ministry said.

Opposition to Mathiatis plan

The change follows sustained opposition to the Mathiatis site. Earlier on Tuesday, the village’s historical and environmental heritage protection group said it strongly opposed the proposal, describing it as unacceptable.

The group said the area was environmentally sensitive and culturally significant and argued that construction there should not be considered. It cited findings from an environmental study conducted for a separate project in the area.