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The Ministry of Interior, following the referral by the President of the Republic, of the Roads and Buildings Regulation (Amendment) Law of 2023, passed by the House of Representatives on 1 June 2023, wishes to inform about the following:
The decision to refer was taken in view of the serious safety issues[/B] raised.
In particular, the proposed Law does not provide for any confirmation of the adequacy of the existing building infrastructure, by a competent engineer, and its ability to accept the additional load of the installation of photovoltaic systems. This may create static problems in buildings and consequently serious risks for the safety of citizens.
In addition to the additional load, the proposed law creates a loophole with regard to the responsibility for the way these systems are installed, which should also be checked by a competent engineer, in order to ensure the safety of both residents and residents. It should be noted that other attachments to the building shell, such as solar water heaters and water tanks, have been exempted from the process of securing a Building Permit through a relevant Decree of the Minister of Interior, in which, however, it is ensured that responsibility is taken by an approved designer, as well as the consent of the co-owners in the building.
In addition to safety issues, other legal and practical issues are also raised, if there is a question in relation to the control of planning requirements such as, for example, the excess height, whether the installation of photovoltaic panels in the shell of an existing building will be exempt from both the Planning Permit and the Building Permit. At the same time, the proposed regulations allow the installation of photovoltaic systems even on an illegal building which has no permit whatsoever. Finally, the rights of co-owners in jointly owned buildings are not protected, since the obligation to ensure the consent of all owners in such cases is not specified in some way.
It should be noted that since the last decree in this regard, the policy on licensing the installation of photovoltaic systems has been simplified by providing for obtaining same-day approval from the competent building authority, while ensuring the assumption of responsibility by an approved designer and covering co-ownership issues.
Nevertheless, the intention of the Ministry of Interior, based on the relevant instructions of the Minister, is to issue a new relevant Decree within the next few days, which will further simplify the existing procedure to further facilitate the installation of photovoltaic systems, in consultation with the Association of Renewable Energy Companies of Cyprus, the Union of Cyprus Municipalities and the Cyprus Scientific Technical Chamber of Cyprus.
(EFYs)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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