Cyprus auditors warn of risk of legalizing unauthorized construction — Cyprus Mail
Cyprus’ Audit Service has warned that planning permits involving deviations from approved urban development plans risk becoming the rule rather than the exception. In a special report, the agency, which examined procedures for 2020–2023, also pointed to the risk of retroactively legalizing structures built without the required permits, Cyprus Mail reports.
Auditor General Andreas Papaconstantinou stressed that the mechanism for deviations from plans was created for exceptional circumstances, not as a parallel planning system or a way to circumvent established rules. During the review period, 633 applications for such exceptions were examined. In particular, 259 applications concerned the construction of private homes, of which 139 were approved.
Risks to agricultural land
The service warned that allowing housing construction outside designated development boundaries could undermine the consistency of urban planning policy and the protection of agricultural land. Papaconstantinou noted that one house outside the development zone could become an argument for a second and a third, while the planning system would gradually weaken through an accumulation of exceptions.
The audit identified delays in reviewing applications, inconsistencies in decision-making, and cases of non-compliance with urban planning rules. The criteria for assessing applications were broadly formulated, allowing for different interpretations. At the same time, discrepancies between the recommendations of planning authorities and the Symepa Council for the Examination of Deviations from Plans were not always properly justified.
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Auditors separately examined the case of a house built without a permit on high-quality agricultural land within an irrigation scheme in the Famagusta district. According to the service’s conclusion, key claims used to justify a positive recommendation had not been sufficiently verified.
Decisions contrary to recommendations
Among the examples in the report is a premises in the industrial zone of the Larnaca district, authorized for use as a warehouse but actually used as a supermarket. Applications to change the use of the property were rejected in 2012 and 2014, and two enforcement notices were also issued. Despite the planning authority’s recommendation to reject a new application, Symepa proposed granting a temporary permit for four years, which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. At the time the report was prepared, the supermarket, according to the auditors, continued to operate, although the applicant had not completed the procedures to obtain the temporary permit.
In 2020–2023, Symepa departed from the recommendations of planning authorities in 90 out of 627 cases, or 14.35% of cases. In 2023, this figure rose to 21.4%. The average duration of application reviews ranged from 25 to 31 months, although some cases were completed in less than three months and individual cases were considered for more than ten years.
