In a dusty corner of Cyprus, on the frontier between the Greek south and the Turkish north, a large sign proclaims in black and white letters: “No Man’s Land, Stop.”

This is the United Nations buffer zone, a windswept strip of rock, scrub and coils of barbed wire that is patrolled by UN soldiers in white Landcruisers.

Beyond that, on the Turkish Cypriot side of the border, lies a vast ghost town called Varosha, which has been deserted and fenced off since the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974.

But Varosha, which is under the control of the Turkish military, may not remain a ghost town for much longer.

The self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has announced that it intends to redevelop Varosha, once a glittering tourist resort that, in its heyday, attracted the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor.

The project promises to transform this surreal zone of abandoned hotels, empty apartment blocks and weed-choked streets into a booming Mediterranean playground.

One day it could rival nearby Ayia Napa on the Greek side of the border, a party resort renowned for its wild night life.

Varosha “will become Las Vegas again”, Ersin Tatar, the Turkish Cypriot prime minister, said during the summer.