The Municipality of Deryneia is making efforts to find ways not only to keep the residents that exist in the remote area of Strovilia, but also to move other people to live in the abandoned houses that exist.
The Mayor of Deryneia, Andros Karagiannis, stated to KYPE that “according to the Policy Statement agreed between the Republic of Cyprus and the British Bases, in the whole area, around the military facilities of the Bases, in the area of Agios Nikolaos, which falls within the administrative "Acheritou and Frenarous, any development will not be allowed for military reasons and for security reasons".
He added that "despite the fact that the area of Strovilia was included in the Special Policy Restricted Areas in the agreement of the Republic of Cyprus with the British bases for opening areas within the bases for urban development, we continue our efforts to keep the inhabitants in this remote area".
At the same time, however, Mr. Karagiannis noted, "we want to attract other people to go to Strovilia for permanent settlement."
He added that on Wednesday, January 20, a conference was held with the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs and Finance, during which, in consultation with the residents of the Strovilia area, we asked for additional financial assistance to repair existing vacancies and vacant homes. About 50 years. "In the teleconference, all the Ministries were positive in our proposal for a financial sponsorship that will be given as an incentive to people who are interested in settling in Strovilia," he said.
As the Mayor explained, several residents of Strovilia left the area for security reasons in the 60s and 70s and went to other areas. "The homes of these people are there and have been dormant for decades," he said, noting that "we are trying to find alternative ways for the 20 elderly residents of Strovilia to stay in their homes and increase their numbers at the same time."
Answering a relevant question, Andros Karagiannis said that "we recognize that some people who wish to live in Strovilia will not go there immediately, but this will happen slowly. That is, they can initially stay for a weekend, then some days of the week and finally to live permanently ".
He also noted that "existing residents receive from the District Administration an amount of 5 thousand euros every seven years to repair their homes, an amount, but too small to do all the work needed for housing."
According to the Mayor "since the British do not want any enlargement of the area where residential and commercial development is allowed, we suggested that incentives be given to repair the existing old abandoned houses in which their owners are interested in living".
"We expect that the Republic of Cyprus will give a generous financial sponsorship in order for them to go to Strovilia to live," he said, noting that "the political commander of the British Bases also sees this proposal with a positive eye."
To another question, Mr. Karagiannis answered that "we now expect the government to determine the amount of money that will be given to repair inactive homes. However, the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs have been informed of the interest of at least ten people in repairing the homes of their families who abandoned them even after the events of 1974 ".
The Mayor also noted that "for years our goal is to maintain life in Strovilia but at the same time to revitalize the area with new residents."