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The measures launched by the Ministry of Interior for the simplification and acceleration of the examination of planning applications were mentioned by Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou, in his statements to media representatives after the end of the Cabinet meeting. The Interior Minister also referred to the readiness of the Republic to manage any refugee flows due to the crisis in the Middle East and the results of the recent MED5 Summit.
Simplification of development licensing procedures
Further today's announcement by the Ministry of Interior on the measures being promoted to simplify the process of examining planning applications, Ioannou said that the main change concerns the removal, by legislation, of the obligation to secure planning and building permits for small developments. The aim is to reduce the examination time by assuming responsibility for the correctness and completeness of the applications by qualified Architects/Civil Engineers.
Ioannou also said that, under the integrated measure, the procedure for conducting the required consultations with agencies is being differentiated by incorporating the requirements as early as the application submission stage rather than during its examination.
In addition, he noted that a training plan will be immediately drawn up in consultation with the ETEK for both the members of the ETEK and the staff that will be hired in the coming period to strengthen the Provincial Local Government Organizations (LGAs). "It was decided today in the Council of Ministers that 105 Temporary Employees will be hired and the positions will be advertised next week. The aim is to recruit them from January 1, 2024, to staff the existing Planning Authorities for the time being and then to staff the Provincial Self-Government Organizations that will be created with the Local Government Reform, to serve the needs and to be able to review the requirements in a shorter period of time," he said.
Asked about this, the Interior Minister said the most substantial change being promoted, through legislation, is the removal of the requirement to submit planning and building applications for small developments, which make up the majority of developments. "In essence, there will be a site inspection and the planner will take responsibility. So with the elimination of the need to submit planning and building applications, everyone will now proceed on their own timelines," Ioannou said.
He added that a number of other measures are also planned, which have a time horizon of implementation in the coming months until July 1, 2024, and which will simplify other procedures. He noted that many of the delays are due to the fact that the applications submitted are not properly completed, they have errors many times and many times the delays are also due to the fact that these are complex developments where the concurrence and opinion of other departments, such as the Department of Environment and the Fire Department, is required. This is why "some of these departments will require incorporation of views into applications before they are submitted. Now the necessary consultation will be done in advance and when there is agreement, the application will be submitted."
He clarified that this practice will be required for larger developments and reiterated that for small developments the abolition of planning and building applications will take effect in about 7 months and after legislation has been passed. According to the Minister, the draft bill prepared in collaboration with the NTEK will be submitted in the coming weeks to the Legal Service for legislative review and will subsequently be presented before the Parliamentary Committee on the Interior for discussion and vote.
Asked what is included in small developments, Ioannou said that it applies to houses of any size and small apartment buildings of 8-10 apartments. The aim, he explained, is to implement the measure as soon as possible in order to process pending applications and reduce the volume of applications that the relevant departments are required to consider. "The 22 measures are a major reorganization of the Departments, as well as the 105 recruitments that have resulted from capacity planning done by the Ministry and the Municipalities and Communities. Based on the volume of applications submitted, existing staff and the time it takes to process them, a need for 105 people has arisen. The shortage, at this time, of these persons results in the delays that exist. Therefore, the recruitment of the persons, the abolition of the need for planning and building permits - when and if passed - and the other 21 measures related to internal regulations, will greatly alleviate the big problem of delays that exist at the moment."
Responding to a question, Mr. Minister said that the measures being promoted have been agreed with the NRC, also saying that the responsibility for monitoring with on-site inspections will be the responsibility of the project designers who, as experts, will guide their clients to build the infrastructure based on the prescribed regulations and laws. He noted that the Architects/Civil Engineers who are members of the ETEK will be monitored by the ETEK itself based on their own regulations in cases of deviations.
The "ESTIA"
Next, asked to comment on the degree of readiness of the Republic's services to manage the possible arrival of refugees due to the crisis in the Middle East, Ioannou said that the Republic of Cyprus is ready to the extent that it can be. According to the Interior Minister, the ESTIA Project is in full swing, and he said that arrivals are also expected at Ayia Napa Marina. State Services are ready to deal with refugee arrivals in the same way and with the same speed as they did in the case of Ukraine, with full respect for human rights.
Cyprus is among the top EU countries in absolute number of returns/deportations
In connection with his recent participation in the MED5 Summit in Thessaloniki, where the issue of migration was discussed among the European frontline member states, the Minister pointed out that during the meeting with his counterparts from Greece, Spain, Malta and Italy "we reaffirmed our agreement on how to deal with it. The ideal scenario for all five countries would be mandatory relocations, which at this stage is not feasible. We welcomed the new Crisis Management Regulation and the fact that instrumentalisation is now recognised. This is important for us, because we know the instrumentalisation that Turkey's migration is undergoing with regard to Cyprus."
Ioannou highlighted the fact that during the Summit it was recognised that Cyprus is among the top countries in terms of returns to Europe at the moment. The Interior Minister stressed that Cyprus has the most successful return programme at the moment. He noted that in the month of September we had about 750 arrivals as opposed to more than about 850 returns of irregular migrants. For another month the balance was positive, the minister said, explaining that in other countries the deportations that are taking place are very low. Cyprus "in absolute numbers is one of the first countries in the EU and we have been congratulated by Mr Schinas and the other Ministers of the Summit for the very successful programme that has been in place and that we have strengthened in recent months," Mr Schinas concluded.
(MKυ)
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