Lakatamia Lake Fails to Become Public — 2011 Cabinet Decision Unimplemented

A 2011 Cabinet decision stipulated the phased transfer of the lake in the Lakatamia area into state ownership. The plan was that during the development of adjacent plots, owners would be required to yield a portion of land for public green spaces, which would count towards the lake's area—continuing until the entire body of water became state-owned.

However, as Minister of Interior Constantinos Ioannou stated in response to a parliamentary question by MP Charalampos Theopemptou, this condition was never applied when issuing permits for plot division in residential zones Ka6 and Ka8.

The lake consists of three private plots within a protected zone. The primary owner is the Kykkos Monastery.

Since the land remains private, neither the municipality nor the state can manage the territory or ensure public access.

Following consultations with the Lakatamia Municipality and the Environment Commissioner, the Ministry of Interior evaluated several solutions:

• Land exchange — deemed unlikely as the market value of lake plots is low, making an exchange unfavorable for the owners.
• Compulsory acquisition — virtually impossible without the Church's consent; even with consent, valuation issues remain.
• Granting protective status — would prohibit development but does not solve the issues of management and access as the land stays private.

The Minister stated that the most realistic solution is to amend the Nicosia Local Development Plan. This would allow for mechanisms ensuring the lake's eventual transfer to state ownership as part of the plan's revision.