Paphos goes green with largest urban park

Paphos is to become greener as the EUR 3.7 million Park of Colours, the island’s largest urban park and one of the richest in terms of plants and infrastructure, will open its gates to the public in the coming weeks.

According to members of the municipal council of Paphos, works on the new 32,000 square metre park of colours have been completed, after nine months.

The park is located at the junction of Ellados and Evagoras Pallikarides avenues and hosts hundreds of new trees, a botanical garden, squares, playground, cafeteria, exhibition area and information office.

Visitors will be able to participate in various sport activities with a tennis, basketball court, small football pitch, skateboarding area, and 3-6m climbing wall.

Some 83 parking spots, including slots for people with disabilities will also be constructed.

For the park to be built, the Municipality of Paphos launched a huge cleaning project, since “the area was nothing but a major source of pollution, tastelessness and nuisance in the heart of Paphos”.

Paphos municipal councillor Panayiotis Vorkas told Phileleftheros daily, “tons of garbage had to be removed, arbitrary constructions and other materials thrown in the area once used as a landfill site by locals”.

The area was once one of the greenest in the region, providing the town’s inhabitants with clean oxygen, until it was turned into a landfill site.

Vorkas said the area had been deserted for the past 50 years and was considered a public health and fire hazard0.