The new Grant Scheme for Existing Apartment Buildings in Government Housing Estates for Displaced Persons "buildingZO" was presented today by the Minister of Interior Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou and the Director of the Department of Urban Planning and Zoning Mr. Kyriakos Koundouros, in the presence of the Director General of the Ministry Dr. Kostas Konstantinos. Present at the press conference were, among others, members of the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees, Mayors, the President of ETEK, a representative of the Association of Contractors and officials of the Ministry of Interior.
At the statement, the Minister of Interior expressed his conviction that the "BuildingZO" Plan is the most active intervention of the State in the housing sector in the last 50 years and is expected to become a benchmark in terms of a substantial and holistic response to the problems encountered in the management of Government Housing Estates. "This Plan is not the end of the road. It is the starting point of a great effort in the framework of the formulation of an integrated housing policy of the State", Ioannou said, adding that the Government is developing a housing strategy through specific actions for the modernization of institutions and programs, based on the pre-election program of President Christodoulides, with a focus on the establishment of a Single Housing Authority. "Our goal is to effectively address the housing problem, which is a major challenge with huge social and economic implications," the Minister of Interior noted.
For his part, the Director of the Department of Urban Planning and Housing, Mr. Kyriakos Koundouros, made a detailed presentation of the provisions of the "BuildingZO" Plan, noting that the new Plan aims to radically and holistically address a recurring process of maintenance and repair of housing units, which after almost half a century, presents substantial problems, "which could not be clarified nor could they begin to be based on a program, it was a very time-consuming and administratively difficult process".
Koundouros specifically referred to the private sector's contribution to the study, which demonstrated the extent of the problem for each apartment building, which contributed significantly to the formulation of the Plan. As he noted, the "BuildingZO" Plan will address another long-standing problem, that of the titling of apartments located on Turkish Cypriot land.
Next, in response to a journalist's question on whether the subsidy will be extended in case the construction or repair of an apartment building is not completed on schedule, Mr. Ioannou answered in the negative, saying that the State grants the subsidy, indicates the construction site, etc., and gives the beneficiaries 24 months to decide whether they wish to participate. "We feel that the time frames we have given are more than enough. If everyone follows their own pace, other problems will arise. If and when a case arises that is delayed for whatever reason, we will look into it. We cannot say that it is black and white, but it must be supported (the reason for the delay)," Ioannou explained.
Asked whether the amount of the contribution will be paid by the beneficiaries at the beginning of the project or upon delivery and whether it can be given in instalments, the Interior Minister said that it is estimated to be given 6 months after the start of the works. The first amounts to be received by the contractor, he said, would be the one-off grant amount and a period of 9-12 months would then be given to pay the amount, which they would be required to commit to giving. He added that if they are then unable to pay the amount while the project is in progress and delay the project, priority will be given to the next on the list of beneficiaries. "We are responding to the needs of the refugees, but for the Project to work properly, we have to be strict," the Minister explained.
In turn, taking the floor, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees, Mr. Nikos Ketteros, the Mayors of Latsia and Strovolos, Mr. Christos Pittaras and Mr. Andreas Papacharalambous, respectively, as well as the President of ETEK Mr. Konstantinos Konstantis, welcomed the decision on the "BuildingZO" Plan and expressed satisfaction for the work done by the Minister of Interior and the Department of Urban Planning and Zoning for the elaboration of the grandiose Plan in a very short period of time.
Reference was made to the possibility of increasing the amount to be granted for rent or to accommodate a relative, which the Home Secretary said was a matter that could be looked into and increased if the opportunity arose.
(MCI)
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