Cypriot Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou recently said that 1,292 temporary buildings in the country pose a real threat to residents of neighbouring buildings as well as pedestrians.
According to the minister, the largest number of such properties is concentrated in Nicosia with 618. This is followed by Limassol with 308, Larnaca with 170, Paphos with 170 and the free areas of Famagusta with 26.
Ioannou said that in order to tackle the problem, the authorities plan to increase funding for the provincial self-government organisations (EOA), which have been responsible for shelters since April 1. In particular, each regional authority will receive a cash grant of €500,000 for the rehabilitation of properties.
Ioannou also announced the preparation of a bill to tighten control over temporary housing. Its main provisions include:
- An obligation for owners to remove hazards in their buildings, including the introduction of enforcement measures.
- Simplified procedures for serving notices on building owners.
- The possibility of obtaining court orders to take necessary action without the involvement of owners.
- Prohibiting the operation and rental of emergency buildings until the hazard has been removed.
- Complete or partial demolition of dangerous installations.
- Cutting off water and electricity supplies to emergency buildings.
- Placing a lien on property to cover the cost of remediation.
- Increasing administrative and criminal fines for non-compliance.
For his part, MP and member of the Home Affairs Committee Marinos Mushiuttas stressed that there are serious gaps in the current legislation, which prevent local authorities from effectively tackling the problem of temporary buildings. He noted that in a number of cases, municipalities have failed to take decisive action because the legislation does not give them sufficient powers.
The new law will address these shortcomings and will only apply in cases where building owners ignore the authorities' orders,' Mushiuttas said.
The new bill is expected to be submitted to parliament for discussion soon. The authorities hope that the new measures will speed up the process of restoring emergency buildings, increase the safety of citizens and improve the urban image of Cypriot towns.