The Planning System in Cyprus

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The Planning System in Cyprus

Economic and regional development policy in Cyprus is based on indicative planning, exercised through the Planning Bureau, an independent directorate under the authority of the Minister of Finance, which formulates long-term development policy at the strategic level and exercises control over its implementation through the state budget.  On the other hand, responsibility for spatial planning and urban policy rests with the Minister of Interior, who has delegated certain of his responsibilities to the larger Municipalities, the Department of Town Planning and Housing, as well as the Planning Board, an independent body with advisory power over large areas of planning policy.
A three-tier hierarchy of development plans is based on the concepts of the “Island Plan,” which refers to the national territory and the regional distribution of resources and development opportunities, the “Local Plan,” for major urban areas or regions undergoing intensive development pressures, and the “Area Scheme,” at the lower end of the hierarchy.  The inability to formulate an Island Plan due to the military occupation of a substantial part of Cyprus and the forced division of the island, led to the preparation and publication in the 1980s of the Policy Statement for the Countryside (PSC), which refers to all government-controlled territory, except areas where a Local Plan or Area Scheme is in place.  The PSC is a legally binding document in the form of an adapted regional plan for development control and environmental protection in villages and rural areas.  Issues of sustainability are broadly addressed by Local Plans in the country’s four main urban complexes and several small-town municipalities in quasi-rural settings, while these have been enriched and strengthened through the introduction of provisions for the implementation of their strategies and policies.  Area Schemes refer to areas of a smaller scale and are more detailed and specifically project oriented, gradually becoming indispensable tools for addressing sustainability issues and enabling the implementation of planning policy.

The Department of Town Planning and Housing

Under the Ministry of the Interior, the Department of Town Planning and Housing, is the national directorate responsible for the implementation of the Town and Country Planning legislation and aspects of urban policy and spatial planning.  The Department comprises the Sections of Housing (responsible for national housing policy, as well as the design and management of public housing, at present almost exclusively serving refugees displaced by the 1974 Turkish invasion), Development Control (responsible for plan implementation and enforcement, as well as providing the administration for six of the nation’s Planning Authorities) and Spatial Planning (responsible for urban and spatial policy formulation, including issues of land use, preservation, transportation and territorial development).  In addition, the Department provides personnel and advice to the Nicosia Master Plan, a bi-communal ground breaking institution involving both the Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot communities of the divided capital.

Local Authorities

There are two types of local authorities; Communities are the local structure for rural settlements of less than 5,000 inhabitants, while Municipalities cover towns and larger settlements, mostly in urban areas.  The nine municipalities under Turkish military occupation since 1974 continue maintain their legal status, although their Mayors and Councils have temporarily been displaced to the government-controlled area, as have the great majority of their constituents
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According to the provisions of the Municipalities legislation, directly elected Mayors act as executive authorities, while Municipal Councils function as the local policy-making bodies, with responsibilities including street construction, maintenance and lighting, waste collection, disposal and treatment, the provision of public open spaces, the protection and improvement of the environment and public health, along with additional activities in social services, education, the arts and sport.  Moreover, larger municipalities have been delegated as competent Planning Authorities, responsible for granting planning permissions, ensuring the sustainable distribution of land uses, prohibiting the implementation of projects detrimental to public welfare and quality of life, monitoring conformance to planning system standards and conditions laid in granted permissions, and enforcing their implementation in cases of non-compliance.

The Union of Cyprus Municipalities was established in 1981 bringing together in a voluntary association all 33 municipalities of the Republic.  Its main objectives include presenting urban issues and developing local government autonomy, whereas its decision-making power is vested in its General Assembly, the decisions of which are implemented by an Executive Committee.

Current Issues

Major territorial challenges affecting Cyprus today include the continued physical division of the island and the persistence of a dividing line, the decline of historic urban centres, the gradual abandonment of mountain villages, continued urban dispersal and associated periurban sprawl, lagging implementation of nature protection and insufficient agricultural restructuring.  These problems are especially evident in the countryside and at the urban fringe, where new development continually encroaches on prime agricultural land and areas rich in natural and cultural resources.  Pressures on land development for holiday homes further complicate this situation where, due to the pleasant landscape and sunny climate of Cyprus, there is already a high demand for the acquisition of holiday homes by overseas owners, notably pensioners from northern European countries.
Furthermore, as an island state at the periphery of Europe, Cyprus faces a unique form of isolation.  Although relatively cosmopolitan and with a thriving market economy connected to the east and west, the lack of physical ties to the European continent greatly influences the transport of goods and people, thus hindering full integration with the internal market.  Similarly, a more subtle form of isolation, as often exhibited by island societies, pervades attitudes and institutions, demanding greater attention to the strengthening of cultural ties and the exchange of ideas within the enlarged Union.
Key Programmes

Urban Areas in Decline

Problems besetting urban areas are complex and varied.  The expansion of cities has been followed, as elsewhere, by the deterioration and disintegration of historic urban cores due to the exodus of populations and businesses towards areas with a more competitive edge because of better accessibility and infrastructure availability, especially in areas adjacent to the dividing line in Nicosia.  This gradual abandonment has in turn led to a fall in the quality of the urban environment, accompanied in recent years by an influx of migrant workers and a more general deterioration of social and economic conditions, as well as an unwillingness of the private sector to invest in the improvement of the urban fabric.
To address such problems, a broad set of Integrated Urban Regeneration measures for the improvement of the urban environment and cultural infrastructure, are currently being implemented through partnerships of central government agencies and local authorities.  Actions include the rehabilitation of buildings and street elevations, the development of networks of pedestrian ways, bicycle t rails and green spaces, as well as the creation of cultural centres and care centres for the elderly and children.

Disadvantaged Mountain Areas

The formulation and implementation of a truly integrated sustainable national spatial policy cannot overlook the interaction between urban and rural areas.  In addition to periurban and quasi-urban areas, which are directly associated to the island’s main conurbations, more remote rural settlements should not escape the attention of planners and policy-makers.  The mountain villages of Cyprus have, to a greater or lesser extend, been isolated in the past.  Although recent improvements in transport and telecommunications have undoubtedly improved the overall situation, the critical balance of population seems to have been exceeded.  Consequently, these areas continue to lose population, in spite of their clear advantages in terms of climate, environment and community ties, while they still lag behind urban and periurban areas in terms of employment opportunities and quality of life as a result of a vicious cycle of populations too low to support adequate basic and community service provision.

In partnership with civil society and the private sector and in cooperation with other government agencies, the Department of Town Planning and Housing is currently implementing a series of measures and actions to facilitate the development of thriving local communities, promote the sustainable development of rural areas and the diversification of their economy.  Objectives include the development of special interest products and activities by local SMEs, such as traditional crafts and rural tourism, to exploit the assets of each particular area within the framework of sustainability and improved quality of life.

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