All the piers serving professional fishermen at Potamos Liopetriou are expected to be completed by early 2027. The boatyard, also included in the area's regeneration project, is expected to be ready around the same time.
Deputy Mayor of Liopetri, Markos Koumi, told our newspaper that works at Potamos Liopetriou are in full swing, although some minor delays have occurred. This, he explained, is because fishermen operating on the river asked the Department of Town Planning and Housing, which is responsible for the project, to include small storage sheds on top of the piers as they are built, to better serve professionals. Their request was accepted, and the construction of a boatyard has since been added to the plans.
"We believe that by the start of the new year, all the piers will be ready, along with the fishermen's storage sheds and the boatyard. Once these works are completed, we expect all the area's professional fishermen, around 30 of them, to return to Potamos Liopetriou. Due to the construction sites and the major delays in carrying out the project, they had to temporarily relocate to neighbouring fishing shelters, such as those in Xylofagou and Ayia Napa. With the piers, the storage sheds and the boatyard, we believe the problems affecting the fishermen's work will be resolved," Koumi said.
Regarding the road network and new pavements at Potamos Liopetriou, the deputy mayor said these have been completed and there is now full public access to the area. One of the two restaurants at Potamos Liopetriou is operating normally, while the other remains closed, as there is a construction site for the piers directly in front of it.
Tender for the buildings
Koumi said the next stage is the launch of tenders for the construction of the buildings and the pedestrian bridge connecting the two sides of the river, works also included in the overall regeneration plan for the Potamos Liopetriou area. Among the planned buildings is the Fisheries and Fish Sorting Education Centre. These works, however, are expected to move forward at a later stage.
It is worth recalling that the long-troubled Potamos Liopetriou regeneration project began in 2020, with an original completion date of March 2023. Unfortunately for the area, despite repeated extensions, it was never completed, forcing the Ministry of Interior to terminate its contract with the previous contractor and project engineer in November 2024. Due to the extensive delays, the project's cost, originally estimated at around €8 million, is now expected to rise by a further €2-3 million by completion.
In a separate development, last Thursday, 10 September, the Liopetri municipal district held the 1st Fish Festival — Celebration of the Fisherman and the Potamos Liopetriou River, at Liopetri Square. The event also included a special photography exhibition dedicated to the Potamos Liopetriou river and the area's fishermen.
