I called the emergency meeting to look for ways to solve the problem with the static issues of houses in Refugee Housing Settlements.
This is a complex problem that is primarily a result of the long period of time that has elapsed since the construction of the settlements.
As soon as I took office I asked to be briefed on the various parameters because safety and health issues are at the top of the Government's priorities. Everyone, the State, Parliament, organised groups and professional bodies, agree that a holistic solution must be found in the management of risk removal with the safety of residents in mind. The government has the political will for an immediate and holistic solution to the problem and with instructions from the President, we are working in this direction.
The Department of Planning and Zoning has today presented a proposal for a new Displaced Persons Housing Management Plan for universal management of the issue for all 358 existing blocks of flats that will enable these people to secure safe shelter through the Plan, without any more dependence on the State and its services for occasional maintenance purposes.
I want to reiterate that our first priority is to ensure the safety of all occupants of the homes and therefore, once the Plan is implemented in the near future, any homes that are deemed unsafe will have arrangements made for the temporary relocation of the occupants to enable all the necessary actions to be taken to begin the necessary repair and/or reconstruction work on the buildings immediately.
Consequently, on the basis of the proposal, priority will be given from now and for the coming year to the repair and/or reconstruction of the apartments in the 43 blocks of flats which have the most serious structural and construction problems. The proposal subsequently provides for the repair and/or reconstruction of the remaining buildings on the basis of a priority schedule.
The proposal provides for:
- A state grant to be given to the beneficiaries of the Grant Scheme to carry out repairs/maintenance and/or reconstruction of apartment buildings.
- That a one-time rental subsidy be provided in parallel for temporary housing for the beneficiaries for the duration of the work.
- The bypassing of bureaucratic procedures with the contribution of the private sector, in order to avoid delays and obstructions. In this context, it has been proposed that the State should provide additional subsidies to cover the cost of the services of civil engineers for the study of the assessment of structural adequacy and the necessary structural studies for seismic upgrading or reconstruction. At the same time, the same grant will also cover the cost of supervision and management of the project, in order to help the tenants to swiftly complete the necessary procedures for negotiating agreements with private contractors, and the EIB has also volunteered to assist in this, and I would like to thank it publicly.
At the same time the proposal:
- Takes into account the legal issues that hamper the whole effort, given that the ownership of the buildings does not belong to the State, and is called upon to intervene in matters concerning private property whose ownership may vary. It should be recalled that there are issues of a legal nature, due to the granting of title deeds (E/C land) or lease certificates (T/C land), the mortgaging of housing units and, in general, the ownership of apartment buildings.
- In cases of reconstruction of a multi-family building on the same parcel, it is envisaged that it will be possible to use the Affordable Housing Production Incentive by increasing the building factor and increasing the number of floors by up to two, for the benefit of all co-owners in exchange for the developer to make the project economically viable, providing additional relief for the co-owners.
- In addition, in case of the need to add a lift, an additional amount of €50,000 per apartment building will be granted.
The provisions of the proposal have been presented and discussed with those present at the meeting in order to formulate the final draft. We will consider the concerns, suggestions and opinions presented in order to communicate this plan shortly, together with the list of blocks of flats in need of repair/maintenance and/or reconstruction.
I would like to reiterate that the above initiative does not in any way affect the ongoing actions of the already existing programmes for the reconstruction, repair/strengthening and radical improvement of Government Housing estates.
Finally, I wish to thank the Chairman and members of the House Committee on Refugees, the leadership of the Union of Municipalities, the executives of the NRC, as well as the officials here at the Ministry, for their willingness to contribute to this matter, which is of the highest priority and involves issues of safety and health of citizens. I am confident that through constructive dialogue and goodwill, we will find the best possible solutions.
(EFYs)
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