An iron staircase has been installed on a pavement along Nikis Avenue by the Public Works Department, in apparent breach of legislation governing pavement width and pedestrian accessibility. The move has been described as a “Solomonic solution” to a long-running dispute between the state and the owners of an affected residence over expropriations carried out to allow the road’s widening.
'Unthinkable'
“It is unthinkable for the state to allow the construction of a staircase that effectively nullifies a newly built pavement,” the president of the Cyprus Paraplegics Organisation (OPAK), Dimitris Lambrianidis, told Politis. He said the organisation has already received two complaints from people with disabilities regarding the staircase, which has been erected within the pavement itself.
Mr Lambrianidis described the situation as a “theatre of the absurd”, noting that for years the width of the road at that location had been reduced because the state and the property owners were unable to reach a reasonable agreement that would serve both the public interest and the owners’ rights. He questioned why a pavement was constructed in the first place, given that it was later rendered unusable by the installation of a staircase.
While acknowledging the complex nature of the case and the deadlock faced by both sides, he stressed that the state and the legal system should have delivered a comprehensive solution. He added that OPAK intends to seek clarification from the Public Works Department, underlining that the law does not permit the placement of objects on pavements narrower than 120 centimetres, or three paving slabs.
Raising serious road safety concerns, Mr Lambrianidis warned that pedestrians, people with disabilities and parents with prams are now forced onto the road, where they risk being struck by passing vehicles. He also questioned who would bear responsibility should a motorcyclist or cyclist lose control, collide with the staircase and suffer serious or fatal injuries.
A long ordeal
The dispute dates back to 1980, when the Town Planning and Housing Department initiated expropriations as part of a project to widen and upgrade the avenue. Disagreements arose with the owners of one of the affected properties. The first phase of the project was carried out between 1982 and 1985, after which the owners filed a case with the Nicosia District Court concerning compensation and additional claims. The legal proceedings lasted nearly a decade, ending on 28 September 1995 with a court-approved settlement.
Although compensation was paid in May and June 1996 and the expropriated part of the property was registered in the name of the Republic as a public road, further disputes emerged over changes requested by the owners. In 2001, an application for planning and building permits was rejected. In 2013, the then mayor of Nicosia intervened, writing to the Town Planning Department.
The matter later drew the attention of the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights, who examined a complaint by the property owners and issued a report on 9 February 2022. The report concluded that the administration had failed to honour what had been agreed before the court and had acted inconsistently since the initial expropriation notice in 1980. It further noted that the complainants had endured 43 years of hardship due to contradictory administrative actions, preventing them from enjoying or disposing of their property, in violation of Article 23 of the Constitution.
Demolitions
On 10 November 2023, officials from the Nicosia District Engineer’s Office of the Public Works Department arrived on site to demolish the house’s steps, which lay within the expropriated land, and to construct alternative access elsewhere. The owners objected, leading to a temporary suspension of works. On 22 December 2023, their lawyers wrote to the Minister of Interior and the Director of the Town Planning Department requesting the return of the expropriated land, an end to works on the plot and compensation for loss of use from 1995 onwards.
The case reached the Administrative Court in 2024, with the owners seeking the annulment of the 1981 expropriation order on the grounds that its purpose had not been fulfilled within the constitutionally prescribed timeframe. The court rejected the application in a ruling issued in May 2025. The owners subsequently lodged an appeal (No. 18/2025) and applied for an injunction on 9 October 2025 to halt works pending the appeal’s examination.
One of the owners told Politis that the first hearing was scheduled for 5 November, while construction works began on 31 October. He alleged that the Public Works Department rushed to create a fait accompli before an injunction could be issued. The concrete steps were removed on 11 November, and on 8 December an iron staircase was installed, occupying two of the three pavement slabs.
Public works respond
A source from the Public Works Department told Politis that no appeal was pending and that this was why works proceeded at the site. The source said the department was legally obliged to provide access to the residence via a staircase, while acknowledging that the solution creates problems and describing it as “the lesser of two evils”. A source from the Ministry of Transport said the issue would be examined.
Nicosia Municipality
Commenting on the matter, Nicosia Mayor Charalambos Prountzos said the municipality had not been involved. “The project is being implemented by the Public Works Department,” he said, adding that the municipality would nonetheless assess whether any issues fall within its remit.