3, Thaleias street, 3011, Omonia, Limassol (2nd floor)
Telephone: 25271000
Fax: 25271900
Website: www.eoalemesos.org.cy
The telephone service hours for the public and planners are between 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM.
The hours for arranging meetings with the Scientific/Technical Staff of the Licensing Directorate are between 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM.
Meeting with EOA Officers for the Public/Planners:
As of 1 July 2024, planning/building applications are submitted exclusively online 24/7.
A meeting with the Licensing Directorate staff can be arranged if it is deemed absolutely necessary, provided that it concerns a matter related to the responsibilities of the Licensing Directorate and that the relevant requested information is not available on the EOA Lemesos website. Arranging a personal meeting with the Scientific/Technical Staff of the Licensing Directorate is only possible through the EOA Lemesos Call Center.
Pursuant to the Town and Country Planning Law, “development” means:
“...the carrying out of building, engineering, mining, or other operations in, on, over, or under immovable property, or the making of any material change in the use of any buildings or other immovable property.”
For the avoidance of doubt, for the purposes of this section, development includes:
(a) the use as two or more dwellings of any building previously used as a single dwelling, whether or not any such change of use involves any building operations;
(b) the disposing of refuse or waste materials on immovable property, notwithstanding that the immovable property is comprised in a site already used for that purpose, if either the area of the deposit is thereby extended or the height of the deposit is extended and exceeds the level of adjoining land;
(c) without prejudice to any regulations made under this Law relating to the control of advertisements or any issued Regulations under this Law, the use for the display of advertisements of any external part of a building which is not normally used for that purpose;
(d) the subdivision or partition of any immovable property into plots or separate plots;
(e) the demolition of any building.
(f) the opening of any street.”
A planning permit is required for any type of development. The only exception applies to developments specified in the General Development Order (K.D.P. 181/2024).
By submitting an application to the Planning Authority for determination (Form EA9), a thorough assessment can be conducted, allowing you to obtain the Planning Authority's official position on whether a planning permit application is required for a specific type of development.
As of 1 July 2024, all applications for obtaining a Planning Permit and Building Permit must be submitted electronically through the HIPPODAMUS electronic application submission and management system.
As of 01/07/2024, all applications for obtaining a Planning Permit and Building Permit must be submitted electronically through the HIPPODAMUS electronic application submission and management system.
Regarding the amendment of Directive 2/2020, in accordance with Article 6 of the Town and Country Planning Law, applications will be submitted through the special procedure of the Planning Permission for Residential Development of up to 2 housing units on a registered plot or a plot under creation.
Regarding Directive 1/2022, in accordance with Article 6 of the Town and Country Planning Law, applications will be submitted through the special procedure of Planning Permission for Residential Development of 3 or 4 housing units, up to 12 terraced houses, up to 20 apartments in an apartment building, and Commercial and/or Office and/or Mixed Residential with Commercial and/or Office development with a total usable area of up to 1000 sq.m., on a registered plot or a plot under creation.
All applications for obtaining a Planning Permit and Building Permit submitted electronically through the HIPPODAMUS electronic application submission and management system must follow the electronic application submission standards as defined in the relevant Directives of the Minister of Interior.
The HIPPODAMUS electronic system for the submission and processing of planning and building applications accepts applications for various types of developments and permits issues.
Α. For Planning Permits
Β. For Building Permits
As of 1 July 2024, all applications for obtaining a Planning Permit and Building Permit must be submitted electronically through the HIPPODAMUS electronic application submission and management system.
Every application submitted to the Licensing Directorate must be signed by the legal, registered owners of the property to which the application pertains. The signatures must be certified by an authorised Certifying Officer or by the authorised development consultant.
The fees paid upon the submission of an application are determined by the relevant Regulations. The HIPPODAMUS system includes a special calculation field that determines the required fees based on the type and scale of the development.
The fees are paid exclusively online through the HIPPODAMUS system.
In cases where an application for development is submitted by Local Authorities, no fees are required. If the application pertains to addressing the reasons for refusal of a previously submitted application for the same development, 30% of the previously paid fees must be paid.
Fees are refunded if a Hierarchical Recourse is accepted by the competent Ministerial Committee.
In every case of submitting an application to the Planning Authority for development, in instances of co-ownership, the applicants' signatures must be certified by an authorised Certifying Officer or the authorised Consultant of the development.
In all cases of applications concerning the development of parcels that do not qualify as "plots", the issuance and submission of a Certificate of External Boundary Demarcation is required.
In cases of developments on parcels located outside the designated development boundaries, the reissuance of a previously granted planning permit is not allowed.
NEW PROCEDURE FOR PLANNING AUTHORITY CERTIFICATES
(SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT ORDER 2024 AND AMENDED DIRECTIVE 2/2020)
The new procedure for the Planning Authority Certificate came into effect on 2 October 2024, following its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus on 27 September 2024, under the Town and Country Planning (Residential Development in Plots and Plots Under Creation) Special Development Order 2024 (K.D.P. 322/2024).
This new Certification procedure is an evolution of the Planning Certainty process, which has been in place since 1 October 2020 under Directive 2/2020. The process had been under discussion since 2022 with the District Officers of the Department of Town Planning and Housing, coordinated by the Department's Director, and subsequently with the ETEK (Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber). It is the first of 22 Licensing Simplification Measures approved by the Minister of Interior in October 2023. As of 2 October 2024, the scope of Directive 2/2020 has also been modified.
According to the provisions of the Special Development Order, for simple residential development applications in plots or plots under creation, which involve up to two housing units, and where no discretionary authority is required from the Planning Authority, and the development is not located in areas with special characteristics (such as the Buffer Zone), only a Planning Authority Certificate will be issued. In this case, the responsibility for the submitted data lies entirely with the consultant/planner. These applications have been removed from the scope of Directive 2/2020, which, as amended, continues to apply only to applications that require discretionary authority or concern plots in areas with special characteristics.
For the certification process, a new function has been introduced in the HIPPODAMUS portal for the certification process, designed to be exceptionally simple for both external and internal users. For the first time, ETEK’s request to digitalise the Consultant’s Declaration Form has been met, allowing it to be completed electronically for easier use.
Under the new procedure, the signatures of owners are not required to be verified. The HIPPODAMUS portal will accept the form directly without review of the submitted documents (such as title deed copies, cadastral plan, professional liability insurance certificate, ETEK training seminar certificate, and architectural plans): a fee of €60 will apply, as in the case of a determination request. After submission, a brief review will be conducted to confirm that the application falls within the scope of the Special Development Order and that the responsible consultant/planner has carried out a strategic review of key development aspects such as building coefficient and coverage ratio and has assumed full responsibility for accuracy. Following this review, the Certificate will be issued, or the application will be rejected if it does not meet the criteria.
Additionally, the HIPPODAMUS portal now includes an automatic issuance function for Certificates, following ETEK’s recommendation. If the Planning Authority does not complete the review within 20 working days from submission, the system will automatically issue the certificate.
Finally, sampling inspections will be conducted every six months by the Planning Authorities, covering 10% of applications, with findings reported to ETEK and the Ministry of Interior.
This new Planning Authority Certificate procedure is expected to reduce the workload for Planning Authorities, as simple residential development applications in plots or plots under creation will no longer require a formal planning permit, which will now be considered granted upon the issuance of the certificate.
The legal framework governing Development is the Town and Country Planning Law (Law 90/1972) and its subsequent amendments.
Building permit is governed by the Streets and Buildings Regulation Law and the relevant Regulations.
For more information, visit the Department of Town Planning and Housing website at https://bit.ly/SxedioPoleodomikisAmnistias.
The conditions that must be met for a development to be permitted include adequate access, compatibility of the intended use with the applicable Land Use Plan, compliance with maximum allowable development coefficients, and adherence to various other parameters set by the Town and Country Planning Law as well as other relevant development-related legislation.
The Planning Zone Plan of each published Development Plan determines the maximum allowable urban parameters, including building coefficient, coverage ratio, number of floors, and maximum permitted height.
The desired/permitted land uses are defined in the currently applicable published Land Use Plan.
Parcels intended for development that do not qualify as "plots" are subject, depending on the area, size, and infrastructure needs, to certain requirements and constraints. These may involve securing the necessary road network and aligning with Development Plan objectives to ensure adequate open spaces and green areas for recreation and residents' well-being. This also contributes to environmental quality enhancement and microclimate improvement. The extent and location of these requirements or restrictions can be determined through an application for land subdivision ("plotting") of the parcel to be developed.
Information regarding the name and position of the competent Technician/Officer reviewing an application is provided through the HIPPODAMUS electronic application submission and review system.
Information regarding the review stage of an application, as well as any deficiencies or pending issues related to it, is provided through the HIPPODAMUS electronic application submission and review system.
The submission of a Hierarchical Recourse regarding a submitted application is possible within 30 days from the date of notification of the Planning Authority's decision on the application.
Hierarchical Recourses are submitted to the Minister of Interior after the prescribed fees have been paid to the Planning Authority and are reviewed by the competent Ministerial Committee.
The procedure for submitting and reviewing an application by way of derogation from the provisions of a Development Plan is governed by the Town and Country Planning (Deviations) Regulations (K.D.P. 309/1999).