I am pleased to accept your invitation to declare the opening of the 30th Annual General Assembly of the Cyprus Civil Engineers Association, which is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Interior.
My presence at this year's Assembly confirms the appreciation and recognition - both by the Government and by me personally - of the multi-dimensional work you are doing for the development of the country, for green building, but also for your contribution in the fields of technology and economy.
It is a fact, Madam President, that your Association, for 30 years, has been at the forefront of defending and protecting the professional rights and interests of the Civil Engineers of Cyprus, while contributing in various ways to the upgrading of the built environment and development.
Today the challenges are many, starting with the need to adapt to climate change and natural disasters, about which we have just heard the views of our friend Christos Stylianides, Minister of the Hellenic Republic.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Over the last three years, as any objective observer can see, as a Government we have accelerated the introduction of policies and reforms, succeeding in creating a more resilient model of development. This is confirmed by numbers, projects and various indicators. The ultimate goal is always the best service to the citizens.
In this effort, a number of reforms in the field of Urban Planning occupy a special place and one of the most important reforms was the introduction of fast-track planning and building permits, whereby permits are now issued in specific sectors in a maximum of up to 20 days.
I personally consider it as one of our most important achievements, because it is a tool with which we have succeeded in moving the cumbersome machinery of bureaucracy, but also the fight against corruption, with the simplification of procedures that has been put into practice, as well as with the introduction of e-government.
Already the results of this reform are more than encouraging. By October 2022, more than 4,500 applications for developments of up to two residential units on a plot of land or land under construction were processed. Given this positive development, from 15 September 2022 we extended the scope of the fast-track licensing to larger developments of up to 12 residential units, as well as multi-family developments of up to 20 apartments, and mixed commercial, office and/or residential developments of up to 1000 sqm.
And I would be ungrateful if for this success I did not thank the NRC and all of you, architects and engineers, for your cooperation.
We have set a goal for this reform effort to be completed by the end of this administration's term of office. And this would become a reality with the passage by Parliament of the bill titled as the "Law on the Facilitation of Strategic Developments", which deals with the licensing of developments costing more than 20 million euros. Unfortunately, the Parliament has not completed the passage of the bill, which I expect to happen next March.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The growth rates in the country are among the highest in the EU. And they are not at these levels, as if by magic. They are the result of a holistic approach to both urban and building planning as well as the preparation of targeted Plans with generous Urban Incentives.
One of these is the Plan for the Legalisation and Licensing of Unauthorised and New Constructions in Approved Developments that were showing minor but manageable irregularities.
The payback from the implementation of the plan, both in terms of problem solving and economic activity, particularly during this difficult period, has been impressive, which is why we recently decided to extend its duration until December 2023.
Photovoltaic system licensing exemption
Dear friends, the plans of the Ministry of Environment are multi-thematic. Therefore, as part of the effort to effectively manage the energy crisis, the rising prices, we have promoted flexible plans for the installation of small Renewable Energy Sources (RES) units. To this end, the MoES recently issued a General Decree under which a building permit is no longer required for photovoltaic systems in existing buildings.
It is another important step, which, combined with the generous financial incentives of the Ministry of Commerce and Energy, encourages the installation of PV systems, making it easier for citizens in many ways, while reducing administrative costs for you, the professional planners.
In addition, and always speaking of PV systems, I would like to inform you that in the process of revising the urban zoning of the Declaration of Policy for the Countryside, which started yesterday, special reception zones for RES are defined, as well as, of course, prohibition zones, with obvious benefits but also promoting orderliness in their placement.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Another important chapter, particularly for the civil engineering sector, is that of dangerous buildings, which has been discussed for years without progress being made. The issue has recently become even more prominent following incidents of collapses of certain balconies.
I am pleased to say today that this issue, which has been high on our agenda, has been wheeled out with a view to:
- protecting our building stock,
- protecting our cultural heritage,
- protecting the built environment, while of course it cannot be ignored that perhaps,
- the most important benefit of this effort is the protection of human life and public safety.
And it is for this reason that, in cooperation with the NTC, we have prepared a relevant bill, which amends the Regulation and Construction Law, giving, among other things, the competent authorities tools to deal effectively with dangerous buildings.
And because work cannot be done without the driving force of money, we have also increased the cost subsidy for direct support interventions from €5,000 to €20,000.
In addition, we are also promoting the institution of regular inspection of buildings, as a preventive measure, as well as the procedure for the imposition of sanctions by the competent authorities. With these measures we are confident that both in the short and long term we will achieve the expected change, both in support and in the aesthetics of our towns and villages.
Protection of architectural and cultural heritage
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me say that we are proud that, as the Ministry of Interior, we have also taken the lead in the protection, preservation and promotion of the architectural heritage of our country.
And this is neither a figure of speech nor a theoretical one. Since October, a package of measures has been in place to support the restoration of listed buildings by increasing incentives and grants to such an extent that the scheme is the most generous and generous among all EU Member States. In fact, we have also taken into account the recent increases in the construction sector and have therefore increased the amount for the maximum recognised cost per m2 by up to 43%.
Our benefits also cover 50% of the maintenance and restoration costs of buildings, with an increase in the amount of the direct grant from the current €90,000 to €100,000. Finally, to further facilitate applicants, we have introduced the institution of an interim grant for maintenance of a legally restored listed building, which covers up to 2/3 of the final cost, with a maximum grant amount of €20,000.
Also, from the same date we have introduced the electronic identification, recording and digitisation of architectural buildings, a project which was also included in the Recovery and Resilience Fund programme, which shows its importance and significance.
Action Plan for the Revitalisation of Nicosia within the Walls
Ladies and gentlemen, my friend Christo, it is a great pleasure for me to refer to the Urban Centre of the capital and especially to the walled city of Nicosia. Our diverse and multi-thematic interventions to improve the built environment for the regeneration and revitalisation of the historic centre of Nicosia rank very high in terms of importance. The Ministry of Interior, with the contribution of the Department of Urban Planning and Zoning, has prepared a set of actions that includes, among others, two sponsorship projects.
The first one, apart from the transfer of the School of Architecture of the University of Cyprus to the building of the Parthenagogue of Faneromeni, concerns the conversion of buildings into student residences. This project is subsidised by the Recovery and Resilience Fund with €15 million.
The second project concerns the provision of a grant to support entrepreneurial activity through the state budget at a cost of €2 million per year for the next 5 years.
In addition to the two aforementioned plans, a number of urban planning incentives and regulations are granted, always with the aim of strengthening and revitalising the area within the walls of Nicosia, in order to remove the deforestation and give the historic centre the glamour it deserves.
Bills for annexe conversions in residences of single developments/complexes
Ladies and gentlemen, one of the major issues of concern to both you and a large number of citizens has been the inability to resolve problems in a large number of residences which form part of single developments and/or complexes, because of the reluctance of the co-owners to sign the relevant application to claim the legalisation of the irregularities.
We have therefore prepared two bills which have already been tabled in Parliament, amending the Real Property Law and the Planning and Zoning Law, to make it possible for the owner of a dwelling in a single development of a residential complex to now be able to submit a planning application for annexations within the part that constitutes the exclusive right of use of the dwelling. This will enable the modernisation of his Title Deed without requiring the prior written consent of 100% of the owners of the single development. And I assure you, getting to this achievement has not been easy at all, but certainly the gain is the release of many of our stranded compatriots.
Dear friends,
I could go on for quite some time since the budget of the Ministry of Public Works is developmental in nature and even properly divided between urban and rural areas.
But I would like to conclude my intervention by congratulating all of you for your contribution to the many, but so important breakthroughs we have attempted in the field of the built and natural environment, urban planning, energy and engineering in general.
But the great challenge is ahead of us and it is the effort to promote and promote green growth in order to build the new modern and resilient society.
I am sure that each and every one of you, and SPOLMIK as the competent Collective Body, will continue your beneficial action.
So thank you for your cooperation, but also for the invitation to be with you today to present what we have achieved as a government, but more importantly to share with you our visions.
Having said this, I declare the 30th Annual General Assembly of your Association open and wish you every success in your work.
(Ephys/MB)
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