Berengaria was built for British military personnel and encompassed houses, a church, a school and a cinema; all of which were built using asbestos materials in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

The village was abandoned with asbestos posing a danger to the British soldiers and their families, who lived here until 1999.

In 2010 Berengaria became the property of the Cypriot government and together with the British Bases, reached agreement to dispose of around 50 containers of asbestos.

Now the asbestos has been taken out of the ground and covered with gravel, the site is being restored by the forestry department to help it get back to its natural habitat where life can grow again. Already trees and flowers are blooming with an abundance of wildlife and birds taking residence.

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