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I am particularly honoured to be invited to attend today's event, which is held as a minimal token of appreciation and reward for the best in architecture, interior design and land development. This is a celebration of the inspiration and creativity of professionals in the field, who, through the aesthetics of their works, contribute to the promotion of culture and the improvement of the quality of life of the citizens of our country.
The Cyprus Architecture, Interior Architecture and Land Development Awards, organised this year for the second time, aim to promote Cyprus' entrepreneurship and the best examples of entrepreneurship in these sectors. The eight awards that will be presented tonight reward scientists in these fields who incorporate modern practices and technologies in their work, thus promoting the environmental dimension, energy and economic efficiency, sustainability and architectural functionality and aesthetics.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Home Office and the Government support the work of the wider architecture and land development sector, recognising its essential contribution to the economy and development of the country. Our aim is to keep the construction industry, of which professional architects are an integral part, on a growth track to ensure that the housing needs of citizens are adequately met.
To this end, the Ministry of Interior has developed and announced Plans and actions under the umbrella of integrated housing policy, with a social and people-centred orientation. For the first time, a single strategy for housing has been developed, which approaches the issue in a multi-level and holistic manner, with costed actions and a specific time horizon for implementation, addressing all socio-economic strata of society, with emphasis on our most vulnerable citizens.
In addition, in view of the implementation of the Local Government Reform, we are improving and modernizing the land development licensing process through the implementation of a 22-measure plan. The aim is to simplify the current procedures and introduce a more flexible licensing framework that will facilitate and better serve citizens first and foremost. A key amendment, which will be brought forward for legislation soon, is the removal of the obligation to obtain planning and building permission for small developments. By giving an enhanced role and responsibility to you, the Architects and Civil Engineers, as experts with training and experience, we seek to reduce the time taken to review applications and reduce delays in issuing permits, which is a barrier to development.
As part of the actions to reduce delays and time-consuming, bureaucratic procedures, a law was recently passed to facilitate the expedited permitting of strategic development projects. In a similar way, the urban rezoning bill for the rational management of idle land in the context of modern urban planning is expected to contribute significantly to the whole project.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I do not wish to go into specific details of all the actions we are promoting. I will suffice only to mention the importance to the State of working with the private sector for the success of the policies promoted by the Government. The State looks forward to your contribution, drawing on your long-standing expertise and your scientifically based recommendations, so that together we can continue to modernize processes and mechanisms and, by extension, the quality of the services we offer to citizens with best practices in line with today's requirements and challenges.
Dear participants,
An award is of no value if it is not accompanied by progress and development in your daily work. I congratulate you on your work and contribution to society and I am confident that you will continue to creatively enhance your industry.
Thank you.
(MKE)
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