The area of the old state fair in Nicosia is to be converted into a nature park, MPs heard with satisfaction on Thursday.

Representatives of the suburbs of Engomi and Makedonitissa were likewise pleased at the news, following a decision by Nicosia municipality to scrap plans for a technological park along with commercial developments at the site.

Instead, said Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos, the site will be turned into a park of an area of 250,000 square metres.

The mayor cited a survey of local residents, 90 per cent of whom said they prefer a nature park in the area.

According to Prountzos, this would create a much-needed green area, as over the past decades Engomi has seen a surge in residential and commercial development – a great deal of “cement”, as he put it.

The relevant studies should be ready within two to three months, he added.

At the same time, the municipality is considering having the planned technological park built elsewhere – in the Sopaz area of Nicosia.

The new plans undo a cabinet decision (September 2022) which had called for developing the site of the state fair into a ‘research and tech zone’, plus offices, a hotel and a conference centre.

This would now be situated in the Sopaz area, deemed to have been “neglected”.

The old plans had also provided for the installation of a park-and-ride station near the site of the state fair; but residents of Engomi opposed this.

Some technical issues remain for situating the planned nature park at the state fair, such as access to water.

Speaking to the media, Akel MP Aristos Damianou said pressure from the affected residents and political parties had succeeded in forcing a rethink of the old plans.

The relevant ministries – of the interior, transport and finance – appeared to be on board, he added.

MPs will revisit the matter in October.

The Greens also expressed satisfaction at the change of plans. According to MP Stavros Papadouris, the aim is to turn the site into a ‘national urban park’.

“We need to create green spaces so that we are not ashamed of what we bequeath to future generations,” he remarked.

The grounds of the state fair moved to their current location in Makedonitissa in the early 1970s. Apart from hosting exhibitions, the grounds had at times been used for other purposes such as music concerts, large rave parties, and even as a service station for the Cyprus arm of the Middle East Rally.