KOUZALIS LLC informs you that the Council of Ministers has approved targeted interventions in addition to the already approved plans regarding the Urban Plannings Scheme.
This plan was implemented with a decision no. 75/172 on 29/5/2013 of the Council of Ministers and has since been amended in 2015 and 2018 with the intervention of the Government with the aim of encouraging development activity and consequently boosting the economy. This support is implemented through the renewal of projects that have proved beneficial, through proposals for new regulations and incentives, and through the extension of the already beneficial Plan for the economy.
According to the statements of the Minister of Interior on June 30, 2020, the Council of Ministers approved:
- Urban Planning Provision Scheme. Measures for Legalization and Licensing of Arbitrary / New Constructions in Approved Developments. The Council of Ministers on 5.02.2020 approved the extension of this Plan until 31.12.2021 with which 1454 applicants have already benefited.
- Urban Planning Provision Scheme for the Rehabilitation of the Tourism Industry. The Council of Ministers on 29.04.2020 approved the extension of the above Plan, until 31.12.2021, which gives the possibility of maintaining the Building Factor of an old hotel unit if it is demolished in order to build a new one.
- Urban Planning Provision Scheme for the Rehabilitation of Development Activity. The Plan, as amended in 2018, sets out the compensation of part of the beneficiary additional building area, depending on the category of development (10% of the additional building area for additions to existing tourism development, 15% for new tourism development and 20% for the rest developments) and the payment of the estimated amount to a Special Fund of the Cyprus Land Development Organization, before the issuance of a building permit.
- Extensions of Urban Permits and Building Powers. In view of the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic and judging that the conditions of the emergency restrictive measures to deal with the crisis resemble special conditions or reasons of force majeure and taking into account the consequences in the construction sector, the Ministry of Interior decided to automatically extend until 31.12.2020 by the competent Urban and Construction Authorities for all licenses that expired from 17.3.2020 to 30.6.2020.
The results based on the evaluation of the Ministry of Interior of the Urban Planning Provision Scheme from the date of its initial implementation on 29.5.2013 and until 30.4.2020 are positive and encouraging as 840 urban applications have been submitted in Cyprus and 571 have been approved. However, due to the data of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have affected all sectors of the economy to an extremely serious extent, he considers that the period of validity of this Plan should be extended until 31.12.2021.
Additional regulation is included in the new regulation which pays the additional fee of 5% when the applicant fails to submit an application for the issuance of a building permit within one year after securing the urban planning permit. In this way, incentives are provided for faster implementation of the project.
As part of the Government’s policy to remove claims from citizens to provide evidence already in the possession of public services, the Ministry of Interior announces that from July 13:
- Abolition of obligations of citizens for attachment to applications submitted to the various departments of the Ministry of Interior, copy of title deed or real estate research certificate
- It will not be necessary to provide an official copy of the real estate plan in the case of applications for real estate development and
- Where the submission of an official real estate plan issued by the Department of Land Registry and Geometry is required today, this is now replaced by an unofficial plan that can be printed by the online portal DLS Portal of the land registry.
For more clarification on the extension of Urban Planning Plans, which applications are being extended, which plans are relevant and which actions need to be taken, do not hesitate to contact G. KOUZALIS LLC. We are at your disposal for information on any issue that is being dealt with legally or for issues of procedures for how they are registered as well as which deadlines apply.
You can contact us for anything you need at lawfirm@cytanet.com.cy or call 23811788.