Let me, first of all, thank you for attending today's press conference. The aim is to inform you about the revised housing plans and allowances to support the residents of our rural, mountainous, marginal and disadvantaged areas, as well as the housing plan for the walled city of Nicosia, which have been announced for the year 2023, continuing their development and regeneration, as we promised.
These are the latest plans presented by the Ministry of Interior with the present Government, which we deliver with consistency of words and deeds, as a legacy to our own citizens.
I. MOUNTAIN, RURAL, MOUNTAIN, ACCIDENTAL, EXTREME REGIONS
Housing Plans for Mountainous, Rural and Extreme Regions
It has been our irrevocable will and desire to implement actions, projects and plans in the countryside, in our mountainous, marginal and disadvantaged areas for the acquisition of private housing, and this in the context of a broader holistic planning of the Anastasiades Government, aimed at their integrated development.
Starting with the housing projects, let me remind you that the "foundation stone" was laid, in a pilot implementation framework in 2019, with targeted interventions and incentives. Subsequently, listening to the "wants" of citizens, both in 2021 and much more so in 2022, we updated these Plans, making them extremely generous in order to meet the needs of citizens, but also to address the ever-increasing construction costs.
We are very pleased that these plans have been embraced by citizens. It is noteworthy that from the day of implementation to date, 951 families have benefited from the projects, with financial support amounting to €34.2 million.
Today, ladies and gentlemen, we inform you of the re-launch of these housing projects for the year 2023.
Plans that we have developed in order to make available to citizens today - with pride, may I say - a package of plans that is sufficiently upgraded and improved, with promising prospects for development and progress for the target areas.
As a result of the great interest and, of course, the positive impact that it is likely to have in the short and long term on the development and prosperity of these areas, we continue to provide generous financial support to young families, especially young families, who wish to turn over a new leaf in their lives.
A notice visibly more generous to our society, as we have multiplied the available appropriations in the Ministry of Interior budget for this year to €20 million, up from €5 million, and €15 million in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Allow me to briefly refer to the changes in the plans and then I will give the floor to the Head of the Ministry's Directorate for Housing Policy to give you more details.
So this year:
-We are exceptionally upgrading the participation in the plans of the three communities located entirely within the neutral zone, namely, Mammari, Deneia and Trullo, from the "Acritic" category to the "Mountain and Disadvantaged Areas" category, so that the beneficiaries will enjoy increased benefits.
-Also, by way of exception, we are upgrading the Municipality of Athienou from the category "Akritiki" to the category "Mountainous and Less Favoured Areas", due to the geographical specificity of the Municipality, which, apart from its proximity to the line of confrontation, is practically enclosed, with little possibility of development.
-Our third intervention concerns the area of Pyla. The part of the residential area of Pyla, which was not included in the "Acritic" areas of the Housing Plan, has, now, been included in the Countryside Plan.
II. Existing Home Repair Grants Plan in the Strawberry Area.
In addition to the above Plans and the improvements we have made, we have prepared a new, separate Grants Plan for the Strawberry Area. The Strovilles, as you know, is unfortunately showing a picture of abandonment. There is an inability to grant planning permission for the construction of buildings. Therefore, recognizing their peculiarity, we are implementing this new Grant Scheme in this area, so that through this scheme, as an alternative, financial assistance can be granted for the repair of existing houses.
The aim of all the above interventions, which were approved by the Council of Ministers on 8.2.2023, is to increase the population density of these areas. With this year's corrective measures and with benefits of up to €95,000, we are demonstrating in practice that we aim to:
- increase the pool of beneficiaries for the acquisition of owner-occupied housing; [BR]
- increase benefits, especially in some areas, thus giving more incentives to young people in particular to apply;
- add specific areas that are really in need due to abandonment.
And all this, of course, always on the basis of the economic data and parameters that the state budget can bear.
For all housing projects, the starting date for applications will be March 1, 2023, with a closing date of December 31, 2023.
III. Grants to support residents of mountain and remote areas
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition to the improvements of the housing projects in mountain and rural areas and the new grant scheme in Strovilia, we are also improving grant policy issues in order to respond to the needs of citizens, in a parallel effort to invest in the development potential of our country.
I would like to mention that for 2022 alone, 21,200 people benefited from the mountain area allowance, with the total assistance amounting to approximately €5 million, while I recall that an extraordinary one-off assistance of €4.6 million was granted by a decision of the Council of Ministers. In addition, an allowance for remote areas was granted, from which some 6,700 people benefited, with total financial assistance amounting to approximately €2.2 million.
For 2023, as regards the support allowance for residents of mountainous areas:
-Exceptionally, we included seven additional communities, those of Agios Ambrosios Limassol, Doros, Kapilios, Kedara, Limnati, Messana and Monagriou.
For the Allowance Schemes, the opening date for applications is 3 April 2023, with a closing date of 30 April 2023.
IV. Walled City of Lefkosia
Housing Project in the Walled City of Nicosia
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today's call for projects does not only concern our highlands and countryside, but also the walled city of Nicosia.
The Council of Ministers has also approved an additional Grant Scheme, which provides for financial assistance to those wishing to acquire a private residence for permanent home ownership in the historic core of the Old Town.
This Plan is a cumulative contribution to, and a continuation of, the already announced Action Plan for the Regeneration of the Walled City, which, it may be recalled, includes the Student Housing Grant Scheme, incentives for the Enhancement of Business Activity, and upgraded Incentives for Preserved Buildings.
The income criteria for participation in this scheme, as well as the financial support will be the same as in the Housing Scheme for the Highlands and Remote Areas, which is the most generous of the Home Office schemes. In other words, the maximum amount of aid varies depending on the composition of the family up to €70,000, and additional assistance of €10,000 will be offered for people with disabilities.
The aim of the Plan is, on the one hand, to revitalise the walled city of Nicosia and, on the other hand, to increase its population density and to contribute to the removal of ghettoisation by helping to end the illegal residence of an excessively large number of illegal immigrants in unsuitable buildings.
And it is for this reason that I would venture to say we have given additional "relaxations", compared to the other plans, by removing the five-year restriction on occupation of owner-occupied housing, prior to the date of application. In this scheme, in order to become eligible, a person must not own another owner-occupied dwelling by himself or his spouse/civil partner, only on the date of application.
The scheme will be implemented from 1 March 2023, with a budget of €5 million, and will remain open until the last date for applications, set at 31 December 2025, or until the available budget is exhausted.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Before concluding, I would like to mention that for the formulation of these complex Plans, in recent years many people have worked in the Ministry of Interior, as well as in the provincial administrations, whom I would like to take this opportunity to thank.
Finally, I would like to warmly thank the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, for his commitment to the vision of revitalizing the disadvantaged areas of the country and his generous support, especially for young people.
I am sure that these improved plans will also be warmly embraced by our compatriots. I want to hope that the new Government that takes over will also continue this successful housing and subsidy policy, which today, as never before, has become a necessity for citizens.
Thank you again for being here.
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