It takes its name from its location, an elevated position on the edge of Peyia – a hillside village with an established community of around 2,000 British residents, north of Paphos in southwest Cyprus – with wide views of Coral Bay. Building work on the €39 million development on a two hectare (five acre) south-west facing site is due to get underway in January, 2010, with completion scheduled for December, 2011. The project is expected to appeal to all generations.

The need for accommodation of this type is underlined by recent research, which shows that the number of people in the UK’s so-called ‘grey’ market – those who have reached or are approaching retirement age – is significant. Of all the adults in the UK, 19 million (41 percent of them) are over the age of 50, representing 80 percent of the private wealth in the country. Saga, the organisation that provides a number of leisure and financial services to people in this age group, reported in 2009 that 23 percent of people over 50 are planning to retire abroad and one in eight ‘older’ people will be living abroad by 2025.
 
The concept
Acropolis Panorama will be a partly pedestrianised village comprising a mix of 133 properties ranging in size from a studio suite of 45sq m to a spacious four-bedroom detached villa. Cars will be parked in a ventilated underground garage with lifts providing access to the owners’ homes above.

Architect Renos Markou has designed the development in a way in which use of the contours of the sloping site have been maximised, ensuring that the owners of every property will enjoy panoramic views of Coral Bay and the Mediterranean beyond. He compares the layout of the pedestrianised area of the village to that of a mediaeval town, reinforcing the sense of neighbourhood while providing a high quality of life.

Within the village will be a clubhouse with a meeting area, café, bar and restaurant as well as a shop and mini-market, cinema and games room. Residents will qualify for club membership automatically. A separate spa providing a range of treatments will incorporate a gym, pool, jacuzzi and sauna. The architect describes his approach to the design of the buildings as ‘a mix of Cypriot and Italian with some modern touches.’

Acropolis Panorama will be a secure gated community with a sophisticated entry system whereby visitors or others making deliveries will, prior to entry, be able to speak to residents in their homes and they will be able to give them access remotely.

The lifestyle village

• The facility to order meals from the restaurant’s ‘room service’ for delivery to their homes
• A home-cleaning service
• Social gatherings, activities and other events arranged by an events co-ordinator in accordance with residents’ wishes
• Mini-bus transport to and from Paphos Airport, 25 minutes away by road, as well as the town of Paphos (15 minutes) and the natural sandy beach in Coral Bay (five minutes). It will also provide a link with the new Minthis Hills Golf Course at Tsada, 15 minutes by road;
• Access to a walk-in treatment room with a resident qualified nurse.

Environmental issues
Only 60 percent of the two-hectare green field site at Peyia will be developed with buildings. Plentiful amounts of shade and water features within landscaped areas will help to keep the village cool in hot weather. A nature reserve will be created within a ravine on the south side of the site. 

Many of the established carob trees on the site will be conserved and up to 100 new trees will be planted as part of a landscaping scheme. It includes the planting of shrubs and other plants within a half-hectare green area which will remain undeveloped, apart from the provision of retaining walls, footpaths and benches.

A feature of the development will be the way in which the sewage treatment plant will produce daily up to 60,000 litres of water for irrigation of gardens and green areas.

The properties at Acropolis Panorama will be built with unusually high levels of insulation which pre-empt new regulations. This will help to keep them cool in hot weather and ensure low levels of energy consumption through minimal use of electricity to operate air-conditioning systems in summer and the electric heating provided for use during the short winter period in Cyprus.

Unlike many older properties in Cyprus that have unsightly solar panels, water tanks and satellite TV dishes on roofs, the properties at Acropolis Panorama will incorporate vacuum tube solar panels beneath glass panels on roofs to heat water stored in tanks within the roof space. A single satellite TV dish serving all the homes in the village will be concealed in a landscaped area.

Where it is feasible to do so, environmentally friendly building materials will be used. Typically, the timber used for pergolas on balconies will come from sustainable forests in Scandinavia. When the aluminium windows used in the buildings come to the end of their useful life, both the aluminium and the glass can be recycled.

The properties available
Acropolis Panorama will comprise a mix of 133 properties ranging in size from a studio suite to a four-bedroom detached villa. Designed for indoor/outdoor living, the properties include:

• 34 studio suites with floor areas from 35sq m. Comparable to large hotel suites, they comprise sleeping and kitchen spaces with a bathroom. The open-plan living area opens on to a 15sq m balcony and a small garden.
• 60 one-bedroom apartments with floor areas from 52sq m. Designed for easy living on one level, they incorporate a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. The living area opens on to a spacious balcony and small garden together occupying 22.5sq m.
• 31 two-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex apartments with floor areas from 82sq m. Entry is at the upper level where a kitchen and living area open on to a large balcony and roof garden together occupying 50sq m and incorporating a jacuzzi. Bedrooms opening on to a 10 sq m verandah occupy the lower level.
• Four three-bedroom, three-bathroom duplex apartments with floor areas from 103sq m. The layout is similar to that for the three-bedroom apartment, but with the third bedroom and en-suite bathroom located on the upper level, opening on to a spacious balcony of 100sq m with a jacuzzi.
• Three three-bedroom, four-bathroom detached villas with floor areas from 232sq m. Occupying plots ranging in size from 360sq m to 420sq m, the villas comprise four floors including a basement and a roof terrace. At ground level are the living, dining and kitchen areas and one of the bedrooms. The first floor has two bedrooms, one opening on to a 15sq m private balcony. All the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms. The basement – suitable for use as a games room or gym – comes with a steam room, sauna, shower room and bathroom, as well as a storage area. The roof terrace occupies 20sq m. Within the landscaped garden is a terrace with a 4m x 8m pool.
• One four-bedroom, five bathroom detached villa with a floor area of 332sq m. Occupying a plot of 540sq m this large luxury villa comprises four floors including a basement and a roof terrace. Similar to the three bedroom properties at ground level are the living, dining and kitchen areas and one bedroom. The first floor has three bedrooms, one opening on to a 20sq m private balcony. All the bedrooms have en-suit bathrooms. The basement area is similar to that of the three-bedroom properties.

Constructed in concrete and conforming to both British and Cyprus building standards, the two- and three-storey buildings at Acropolis Panorama will be finished externally in a mix of natural stone and magnolia render beneath clay roof tiles. Internal finishes include smooth plastered and painted walls and solid hardwood doors. Floors have marble floor tiles. Aluminium windows are double-glazed.

The properties come fully-furnished with fitted kitchens beneath granite worktops and with all appliances included. Purchasers who buy off-plan can specify whether they wish to have a bath or shower in bathrooms. Bedrooms have fitted wardrobes.

Contact
The prices of the freehold properties, available to buy off-plan, range from €167,544 to €1.240,000 depending on size and position.

Current prices are:       

Studio suite           
From €167,544

One-bedroom apartment       
From €241,314   

Two-bedroom duplex apartment   
From €379,225

Three-bedroom duplex apartment   
From €595,940

Three-bedroom detached villa   
From €770,288

Four-bedroom detached villa   
From €1,240,000

For more details call 01889 565806
Email: sales@univac.com
Or visit: www.acropolispanorama.com