“Introduction to Cyprus Planning
Laws and process-Streets and
Buildings Legislation
and Regulations”
Marios Panayides
Civil Engineer NTUA, MEng, MBA(PS)
Ministry of Interior
Tech n i cal Servi ces
“Introduction to Cyprus Planning Laws and processStreets and Buildings Legislation and Regulations”
www.moi.gov.cy
Marios Panayides
Civil Engineer NTUA, MEng, MBA(PS)
tel:
22806400, 22806406
Fax:
22806401
mpanayides@moi.gov.cy
marios@melesoft.com
2
3
4
Introduction
• The Streets and Buildings Law is the main
Law which regulates the construction of
all building and civil engineering works.
• According to this Law, the construction of
buildings and streets is illegal unless a
building permit is issued.
5
• It should be noted that this Act has the most
numerous modifications of any other law of
Cyprus, which makes it difficult to
understand to young engineers as well as
older, who have not received adequate
training or education.
6
Amendments to the Law
14 του 1959
67 του 1963
6 του 1964
65 του 1964
12 του 1969
38 του 1969
13 του 1974
28 του 1974
24 του 1978
25 του 1979
80 του 1982
15 του 1983
9 του 1986
115 του 1986
199 του 1986
53 του 1987
87 του 1987
316 του 1987
108 του 1988
243 του 1988
122 του 1990
97(Ι) του 1992
45(Ι) του 1994
14(Ι) του 1996
52(I) του 1996
37(I) του 1997
72(I) του 1997
71(I) του 1998
35(I) του 1999
61(Ι) του 1999
81(I) του 1999
57(I) του 2000
66(I) του 2000
73(Ι) του 2000
126(I) του 2000
157(I) του 2000
26(Ι) του 2002
33(I) του 2002
50
Amendments
202(I) του 2002
101(Ι) του 2006
21(Ι) του 2008
32(I) του 2008
47(Ι) του 2011
77(Ι) του 2011
131(Ι) του 2011.
152(Ι) του 2011
34 (Ι) του 2012
149(Ι)/2012
7
Upon completion of this presentation, participants will
have a basic knowledge of Cyprus Planning laws and on
the Streets and Buildings Law and Regulations and will be
able to:
One
Two
Three
Four
• Understand its provisions
• Get familiar with the building permit procedures in
Cyprus
• Informed about the ongoing problems occurred during
implementation
• Solving the problems?
8
• The building control system and the
relevant legislation in Cyprus, as much
other legislation, have their roots in the
mid 40’s, when the then British Colonial
administration adopted the Streets and
Buildings Regulations.
9
• The urgent need to enforce elementary rules
to regulate the chaotic development that took
place up until then, the first signs of the
expansion of cities outside their traditional
boundaries after World War II, the outbreak of
typhoid disease, compelled the administration
to take urgent measures in order to improve
hygienic conditions, as well as the ventilation
and the water supply in new buildings.
10
• More than six decades later, the Streets and
Buildings Regulation Law and relevant
Regulations are the total sum of that original
law, and an endless sequence of amendments
and modifications, approved since then, in a
rather incremental and piecemeal manner, in
order to meet changing needs and
circumstances.
11
• Today, the Streets and Buildings Regulation
Law - first issued in 1959 – together with the
Town and Country Planning Law - first
approved in 1972, but enacted as late as
1990- define the development and building
control system of Cyprus.
12
• Before going into detail, I need to explain that
in order for any development or in fact any
material change of use to take place, two
distinctive and separate permits are needed:
13
• First, an application needs to be submitted to
the competent Planning Authority, which
should assess whether the proposed
development is compatible with the
provisions of the Town and Country Planning
Legislation, the provisions of the relevant
published Development Plan and any other
material consideration.
14
• After the issuing of the planning permit, an
application needs to be submitted to the
designated Building Authority, and after its
examination a building permit is granted.
15
• At this point I think that I should explain the
allocation of powers to planning and building
control authorities.
16
Planning Control
• Legislation defines the Minister of the Interior as
the Planning Authority for examining any
application for the grant of a planning permit, but
since 1990 the Minister has designated most of his
powers to the four oldest urban Municipalities, for
their respective administrative areas, and the five
District Planning Officers, for the rest of the
island’s territory.
17
• At the same time, the Director of the
Department of Town Planning and
Housing has been designated as the
island-wide Planning Authority for largescale and complex developments. This
balance of powers is one of the
prominent characteristics of our control
system.
18
• In terms of planning control, the power
mainly rests with central government
agencies, despite their obligation to ask
for the local authority’s opinion and
comments for most types of
development.
19
• One might argue of whether this allocation of
planning powers to the above mentioned
authorities is correct and compatible with the
contemporary principle of subsidiarity and the
charter of local democracy, enshrined and
effectively implemented in most European
states and world wide.
20
• I will not try to justify or defend our
system, although obviously it has some
merits in terms of economies of staff,
impartiality in respect to the criteria used
for examining applications, etc.
21
• Nevertheless, it might help to understand
the current setup in Cyprus, if I stress that
Municipalities in Cyprus are in general of a
small scale, in comparison to most local
authorities in other countries.
22
• Irrespective of the reasons and the
explanations for this structure, we are
currently working for the drafting of a new
legislation which will enable the
establishment of unitary planning authorities,
at the local government level, which will
empower the exercise of planning control by
bodies representing all local authorities in
each particular urban center.
23
• As already mentioned, planning decisions are taken
on the basis of the provisions of published
Development Plans. Planning legislation defines a
specific three-tier hierarchy of Development Plans,
with the Island Plan on the highest tier, Local Plans
and Area Schemes at lower tiers and a general
policy document called the Statement of Policy for
the Countryside for parts of the island’s territory
not covered by any other development plan.
24
• According to law, the Island Plan covers the
entire insular territory, which is under the
control of the Government. The Island Plan is
a statement of the broad national strategy in
the area of regional spatial planning with
strong links to overall national economic and
social policy.
25
• It signifies the Government’s intentions in respect to
the efficient and sustainable use of land throughout
the island and refers especially to the population’s
regional distribution, regional-level spatial policies in
relation to industry, commerce, tourism and other
major sectors of the economy, the designation of
areas of special social, historic, architectural or
cultural interest, the designation of areas of special
natural and environmental value, as well as the
pattern of regional transportation networks and other
public services.
26
• To-date, no Island Plan has been published,
due to the continuing Turkish occupation of a
large proportion of national territory. Instead,
strategic
planning
for
socioeconomic
development takes the form of three-year
Strategic Development Frameworks.
27
28
Local Plans
• There are 10 Local Plans published until today,
and at least four additional new plans are in
the process of being prepared, following the
procedures defined by law and special
Government directives.
29
Local Plans
• Local Plans cover all major urban or urbanised
areas of the island, undergoing significant
development pressure, as well as areas of
exceptional importance and areas lacking
behind in terms of physical and economic
development.
30
• At present, the Planning Board, a 13member body appointed by the Council
of Ministers, is busy with the task of
amending a number of the published
Local Plans and issuing new ones.
31
32
33
Area Schemes
• Area Schemes are more detailed
Development Plans, defining special
measures, projects, opportunities, sets of
incentives and other provisions, and
directing major new development to
specific locations.
34
• As already mentioned, for all national
territory, where neither a Local plan nor an
Area Scheme is in force, an additional type of
development plan was introduced to the
planning system in 1982.
35
• The Policy Statement for the Countryside, is a
legally binding document which defines the
planning strategy and detailed policies for the
control of development and the protection of
the environment, generally in small towns,
villages and rural areas..
36
• Along with this policy document,
a comprehensive set of planning zones
have been published for the almost all
administrative areas.
37
• In addition to that, other published plans
define areas of outstanding
environmental value, selected coastlines
and nature protection areas, as well as
areas of protected landscapes.
38
39
A few words about the performance of
the planning control system:
• During the last five years, the system has
come under intense pressure and
backlogs of applications have been
worsening continuously.
40
• Despite the legal obligation for any
application to be examined and decided
within a maximum period of three
months by the relevant authority, in most
cases decisions were not reached before
8-10 months.
41
• As a result, the Ministry of the Interior was obliged
to take initiatives and introduce a considerable
number of new procedural rules and norms, which
were aiming for the updating, the simplification
and the acceleration of procedures followed be
planning authorities for examining applications.
Since the beginning of this year, we have managed
to bring down the period needed for assessing
applications to 3-4 months and at this stage we are
trying to stabilize on these results.
42
The Building Control System
• As already mentioned, after the issuing of the
planning permit, an application needs to be
submitted to the relevant building control
authority, which is defined by legislation.
43
The Building Control System…
• In fact, every Municipality within its own
administrative area, and the District Officers
for the rest of the island’s territory are defined
as Building Authorities.
44
• In this instance we have a mixed system of
power allocation to both the municipalities
and central government agencies, for areas
other than municipal.
45
• Again, I need to stress that community
councils, which are the second type of local
authority in our administrative system, are
indeed of a very small population scale and it
is not really possible for every community
council to be staffed in a sufficient manner, in
order to be able to perform as building control
authority.
46
• Applications for a building permit should
in general be in conformity with the
planning permit and the conditions
included in the permit and the provisions
of the Streets and Buildings Regulation
Law and relevant Regulations, and the
Building Authority.
47
Every such application is accompanied by
the following documents:
 The title deed of the land comprising the
building site,
48
• A site plan of the largest scale Government
Survey Plan showing:
– The boundaries of the building site,
– The outline of the proposed building or the
alteration or addition to any existing building
in relation to those boundaries,
– The legal access to the plot,
– The area of the plot and the area covered by
existing buildings and proposed buildings,
49
• The Planning Permit, including the
relevant conditions and the approved
architectural plans,
• Structural Drawings and Calculations,
• Plans and Calculations for the electrical
system of the building,
50
• Plans and Calculations for the mechanical
installations of the building,
• Sewage Plans and details,
51
• Other documents related to the
authorization of the professional who is
responsible for the design and the
supervision of the building works on site,
• Energy Efficiency Certificate and
calculations.
52
• In terms of the statistics related to the operation
of the building control system, I need only to
indicate that during 2011, 9,000 building permits
were issued by all Building Authorities. Out of
these, almost 7,000 permits concerned residential
buildings, 1,000 non-residential buildings, 400 Civil
Engineering works and 600 building-plot
parcellations (land division).
• Total area = 3 millions m sq.
• Total value = 2.7 bill. €
53
• The application is processed through a rather
complex procedure, where both
administrative and technical staff are
involved.
54
• I will not go into the details of this procedure
at this point. I only want to stress that long
delays are the causes of intensive complaints
by applicants, developers and professionals.
55
• In fact, in the legislation there is no limitation
as to the completion of building control and
the reaching of a decision by the building
authority. It is for this reason that the Ministry
of the Interior, has recently taken the
initiative to discuss with building authorities,
mainly the Municipalities, for the definition of
such a period, by issuing a Ministerial Degree,
which has been made possible after the most
recent amendment of the Legislation.
56
• Consultations with numerous other
authorities are amongst the most prominent
causes of the long delays during the
processing of applications. We, therefore,
focus our recent work on the need to avoid all
consultations which are not necessary for a
decision to be reached and, in addition, on the
need to avoid the duplication of consultations
which take place during the exercise of the
planning and the building control procedures.
57
• At the same time, the Ministry of the Interior
is working in close cooperation with the
Technical Chamber of Cyprus, a legal body
representing all registered engineers, in order
to provide a well structured series of
seminars, specifically addressed to
professionals in order to update their
knowledge and understanding of the
provisions of the legislations and the
obligations stemming from it.
58
• A few years ago, we have signed a contact
with the Technical Chamber under which the
Chamber submitted concrete proposals for
the introduction of Fire Safety Regulations for
all types of buildings and a new, updated
Regulation concerning the safe access to
buildings, especially focusing on the needs of
the disabled.
59
Problems occured
• In Cyprus, there is no independent inspection
of property as it is being built. It is the
responsibility of the Engeneer in charge to
monitor the construction & ensure it is carried
out in accordance with the regulations and
building permits. Independent inspection only
occurs when the property's finished (which of
course, may be too late).
60
Problems occurred …
• Some property developers ignore the law
and build properties before the required
permissions and permits have been issued.
People buying off-plan property are usually
unaware of this (particularly if they've used
the developers pet lawyer). Illegal building
is a serious and widespread problem!
61
Problems occurred …
• If the property developer has built illegally,
the authorities have the power to issue a
'Demolition Order' requiring the illegal
building to be pulled down!
62
Ignoring the planning law
• As mentioned above, some property
developers choose to ignore the law and
start construction work illegally. This
causes problems for those buying
property; particularly for those who are
buying off-plan.
• Such problems include:
63
Ignoring the planning law …
• The finished property may be different
to that shown in the plan sketches or
artist's impression (because the planning
authority has required the plans to be
changed).).
64
Ignoring the planning law …
• The Cyprus Electricity Authority will not
connect a property to the supply unless
it's Building Permits have been issued.
(You can see many blocks of apartments
and other properties running off a
temporary electricity supply provided by
the developer).
65
Ignoring the planning law …
• If the inspectors refuse to issue a
'Certificate of Final Approval', the
issuance of Title Deeds will be delayed
until the matter has been resolved. (This
can take many, many years - even with
Government amnesties). Illegal buildings
may also be demolished.
66
Ignoring the planning law …
Buyers ignore the planning laws
• Property developers are not the only
people who break the law - some
property buyers also choose to ignore
the regulations. They build swimming
pools, add extensions and make other
changes illegally.
67
Ignoring the planning law …
• This illegal construction further complicates
matters. Even though the developer may
have constructed the development in
accordance with the regulations, the
inspectors will not issue a 'Certificate of
Final Approval' until matters are resolved by
the removal or demolition of the illegal
changes
68
Buyers ignore the planning laws
• Property developers are not the only
people who break the law - some
property buyers also choose to ignore
the regulations. They build swimming
pools, add extensions and make other
changes illegally.
69
Buyers ignore the planning laws
• This illegal construction further complicates
matters. Even though the developer may
have constructed the development in
accordance with the regulations, the
inspectors will not issue a 'Certificate of
Final Approval' until matters are resolved by
the removal or demolition of the illegal
changes
70
Problems for the authorities
• PAPERWORK AND CONSULTATION WITH
TOO MANY PARTIES
71
Problems for the authorities…
• DRAWINGS AND CALCULATIONS
SUBMITTED DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE
STREETS AND BUILDINGS LEGISLATION
MAINLY BECAUSE :
• Architects and Engineers do not know
the legislation WELL enough,
72
Problems for the authorities…
• There are no repercussions to applicants
or their engineers for submitting
incomplete or wrong documents.
73
Problems for the authorities…
• DRAWINGS DO NOT SATISFY THE
REQUIREMENTS OF OTHER
DEPARTMENTS,
• DIFFERENT BUILDING AUTHORITIES
REQUIRE DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS,
• UNDERSTAFFED.
74
Reasons that contributed to the construction of
buildings without building permit
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
THE 1974 TURKISH INVASION
CULTURE
UNDERSTAFFING OF BUILDING AUTHORITIES
LOW FINES FOR ILLEGAL STRUCTURES
LEGISLATION WEAKNESSES REGARDING SUPERVISION OF BUILDINGS
COST TO EMPLOY AN ARCHITECT/ENGINEER FOR A SMALL EXTENSION
DIFFICULTY TO OBTAIN PLANNING PERMIT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF
DEVELOPMENTS
• RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
Solutions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
BUILDINGS AMNESTY
ENGINEERS TO BECOME MORE ACCOUNTABLE
HIGHER FINES
EDUCATION OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES
MAKE IT EASIER TO OBTAIN PLANNING PERMITS
MORE STAFF FOR BUILDING AUTHORITIES
TIME
82
Building and Planning Amnesty
• Following a two-year period of comprehensive
work and intensive, coordinated effort, with the
involvement and contribution of numerous
authorities, organisations and institutions involved
in the construction industry, the House of
Representatives has approved amendments of the
Town and Country Planning, the Streets and
Buildings Regulation, and the Immovable Property
Legislations, which were submitted by the Ministry
83
Building and Planning Amnesty
• The legislation, which aims at the
simplification and modernisation of
procedures and legal provisions that
eventually lead to the securing of updated
title deeds by respective property owners,
came into force on April 8, 2011. All deadlines
defined in the amended legislation count from
that date on.
84
• The need for the introduction of the amended Laws
arose, as it became evident that a large number of
buildings or building complexes, as well as divided
plots, which have been built or constructed on the
basis of a planning permit and/ or a building/
division permit, could not be registered by the Land
and Surveys Department, so that appropriate
certificates of registration could be issued, due to
various reasons, related – in some cases – to the
85
need to legalise minor irregularities.
• For the first time, the legislation is
strengthened with temporary provisions,
enabling the legalisation of irregularities of
specific type, nature, scale and significance, in
existing buildings, under certain conditions.
The main condition is the existence of a
relevant planning permit and/ or building
permit for the development.
86
Key Features of the Legislation
(a) The legality of the building is no longer a
prerequisite for the issuing of an updated title
deed. It is made possible for a certificate of
registration to be issued for a building with
certain irregularities; however, these
irregularities are to be recorded on the title
deed.
87
Key Features of the Legislation …
(b) Updated title deeds can be issued, despite
any building irregularities, provided that an
application is submitted to the Building
Authority, together with an accurate description
of the building as well as any irregularities that
may appear, in comparison to the building or
the planning permit issued.
88
Key Features of the Legislation …
(c) The issuing of a title deed with notes does
not render the relevant building legal. Where
irregularities exist, substantial or otherwise, the
Building Authority and/ or the Planning
Authority, and/ or the Director of the Land and
Surveys Department, are empowered to take
measures against the owner, so that he can be
persuaded to fulfil all obligations arising from
the legislation and the permit.
89
Key Features of the Legislation …
(d) The owner of the development, as well as
the supervising engineer, are obliged to inform
the Building Authority, within a specified period,
as to the completion and beginning of use of the
building, and to any alterations which may not
conform with approved plans and conditions of
the permits.
90
Key Features of the Legislation …
(e) The right to activate necessary procedures
for the legalisation of the development or for
the issuing of updated title deeds, is extended –
apart from the owner – to the purchaser (under
certain conditions), as well as to the Competent
Authority (Planning Authority, Building
Authority, or the Director of the Land and
Surveys Department).
91
Key Features of the Legislation …
(f) Updated title deeds are issued in the name of
the original owner, and not in the name of
purchasers.
(g) Concerned Authorities shall inform each
other directly on any actions taken towards the
legalisation of the buildings, and will not depend
on the owner´s initiative.
92
Key Features of the Legislation …
(h) In all three amended laws, Competent Authorities
(Planning Authority, Building Authority and the Director
of the Land and Surveys Department) are empowered to
impose administrative fines, in cases where the owner is
reluctant or unwilling to submit the required
declarations or applications for the legalisation of
buildings, or irregularities in buildings, or for the issue of
certificates of approval or certificates of unauthorised
works or updated title deeds.
93
www.moi.gov.cy
www.moi.gov.cy
tel: 22806400, 22806406
Fax: 22806401
mpanayides@moi.gov.cy
marios@melesoft.com
94
• Streets and Buildings Legislation
• The main provisions of the Law in its present
form includes the following provisions:
95
Article 3
• the construction of any building and street is illegal unless a
building permit is issued by the Local Authority.
Article 8
• the Local Authority has the right to ask for any drawings,
sketches, calculation and any other information which is
considered necessary to ensure that the building to be
constructed provides for the health and safety of the users.
96
• The application to the Local Authority must be signed by
Architect/Civil Engineering, member of the Cyprus Scientific and
Technical Chamber.
• The application must include among other information,
I.
architectural and structural drawings
II.
calculations
III.
any other information depending on the type of the construction
(eg. Electrical installation studies, environmental studies)
97
Article 9
• the Local Authority has the right to impose terms to ensure that the
proposed building is fit for the proposed use. These terms may
concern eg. the sufficient provision of water, electricity, safety of
disable people, the safety of mechanical and electrical installation,
fire safety.
Article 9A
• any building permit issued under article 3 of the Law must not be
materialized until the Local Authority is satisfied that the owner of
the building has appointed a supervising engineer. The owner should
also satisfied the Local Authority that the supervising engineer has
98
been informed of the commencement of the works.
• The supervising engineer must ensure that no construction begins or
is executed prior to the issue of a building permit.
• The supervising engineer must supervise all the stages of the works
until the project is completed.
• The rights, duties and liabilities of the supervising engineer and the
rules the govern the relationship between the engineer and the Local
Authority are included in regulation 61 (61Θ) of streets and buildings
regulations as issued under article 19 of the Law.
99
Article 10
• upon completion of the works and before the use of the building a
Certificate of Approval must be issued by the Local Authority. The use
of the building before the issue of the certificate is illegal.
• The holder of the building permit must, within 21 days of the
completion of the works inform the Local Authority for the
completion and apply for the issue of a Certificate of Approval.
• The supervising engineer, within 30 days of the completion of the
works must submit to the Local Authority a certificate to verify the
completion of the works which must include a statement on the level
of compliance of the completed works to the provisions of the
100
building permit.
Article 10B
• If the Local Authority finds that the building works
are completed with minor deviations from the
provisions of the building permit, they must issue a
Certificate with Defects.
• This certificate will include a list of the parts of the
building not in accordance with the building permit.
101
Article 10C :
•
If the Local Authority finds that the building works are completed
with deviations from the provisions of the building permit which are
considered of major importance as far as the safety in use of the
building is concern, then the Local Authority must issue a Certificate
of Unauthorized Works.
• This Certificate will include a list of the parts of works which are not
according to the provisions of the building permit.
• Upon the issue of such a certificate, the Land and Survey Department
will issue a title deed containing a list of the deviations. The property
can not be sold to any person other than those related to the original
102
owner to a 3rd degree level.
Article 15
• The Local Authority may, through an order, close down any
building, which, considers to be prejudicial to health due to eg. bad
ventilation, or dangerous due to eg. structural defects.
• Further, they may prohibit the use of the building until all
necessary measures are taken for the reconstruction, alteration or
repair in such a manner as defined by the authority.
103
Article 15A
• If the Local Authority determines that a structure is in such a
condition as to be dangerous they may issue an order to the person
who has an interest in the use of the structure. The order must
explain the reasons for the decision and include the measures that
must be taken to obviate the danger.
• If the person to whom the order is served refuses to take the
measures included in the order the Local Authority may proceed in
executing the order and claim all cost incurred from that person.
104
ΚΑΤΑΤΑΞΗ ΑΡΘΡΩΝ ….
Article 20:
• Any person who breaches any of the provision of articles 3, 9A,
10,15 and 15A commits a crime punishable with imprisonment or
with a fine up to 1700 euro, or both.
• If such an act is committed by a supervising engineer in his capacity
as an employee or as a collaborator to a Developer, the Developer
is consider as accomplice to the crime.
105
ΚΑΤΑΤΑΞΗ ΑΡΘΡΩΝ ….
Article 21
• If the Local Authority failed to comply with any of the provision of this Law, a
complaint may be submitted to the Cabinet. If the Cabinet is satisfied that the
complain is valid then they issue an order in which a dead line is set for the Local
Authority to take steps to amended the non – compliance.
• If the Local Authority does not comply within the set time limit, the Cabinet must
appoint a three member committee to take steps to amend the non-compliance.
Any expenses incurred from the acts of the committee will be payable by the
Local Authority.
106
Article 18
• Any person who is not satisfied with any decision of the Local
Authority under articles 3, 6, 9, 15, 15A may, within 21 days of
the issue of such decision, apply in writing to the Minister of
Interior. The application must include the reasons that
support the claim against the Local Authority’s decision.
• The Minister of Interior must reach a decision within 21 days
from the date of the application.
• If the applicant is not satisfied with decision they may apply to
the Court.
107
Article 19
• The Cabinet has the power to issue regulations to regulate a
number of issues such as:
• The annexation of terms
• Means of supervision and controlling
• Dimensions of building plots
• Maximum number of plots and maximum height of builidng
• Specification of materials
• Dimension and number of parking spaces
108
•
•
•
•
•
•
Electrical and mechanical installations
Access and use by disable people
Energy efficiency of buildings
Safety in the use of any building
Fees payable for the issue of a building permit
Any other issue which ensures the proper implementation of
the regulations
109
The following regulations have been issued:
• Streets and Building Regulations
• Streets and Buildings (Energy efficiency of Buildings)
Regulations
• Streets and Buildings (Electrical and Mechanical
Installations) Regulations
110
• Streets and Buildings (Energy efficiency of Buildings)
Regulations are issued in order to regulate the requirements
and procedures for the issue of building permit with to the
provision of Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Council for
the energy efficiency of buildings
• Streets and Buildings (Electrical and Mechanical Installations)
Regulations regulate the certification of these type of
installation and the qualification of the eligible engineers.
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Streets and Buildings Regulations include mainly
the following provisions:
• Regulation 5 states the documents that must be
included in the application for building permit.
• Regulations 6-60 contain minimum requirements for
the design of various elements of the building eg.
Room dimensions, height of building, staircases,
drainage systems, sewerage systems, ventilation
systems, fire safety etc
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• Regulation 61 to 61E
they include information regarding the size of the parking spaces, the required
number of spaces in relation to the use of the building and entrance and exit
routes to the parking.
• Regulation 61st and 61Z
refers to the structural design of the building, the codes of practice to be used.
Since 1/1/2012 this regulation states that the structural design of buildings must
be done using Eurocodes.
• Regulation 61H
states the requirements for the safety in use of buildings by disable people. This
regulation is currently under revision in order to introduce the Approved
Document for the Safety in Use and Accessibility of Buildings.
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Regulation 61th(61Θ)
• It includes the procedure to appoint or replace the
supervising engineer and the related duties and
responsibilities. The regulation is currently under
revision in order to provide the necessary power to
handle construction products which do not comply
with the accompanying CE marking
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Regulation 62
• It includes the procedure το calculate the fees
payable for the issuance of a building permit. It is
currently under revision in order to simplify the
procedure. The revision also includes a change of the
time period which the fees have to be paid.
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• Streets and Buildings Law and Streets
and Buildings Regulations are about to
undergo revision in order to include
provisions so that buildings and streets
are design and constructed to implement
the basic requirements of Directive
89/106/EC of the European Council for
the Construction products.
These requirements are:
I. Mechanical resistance and stability
II. Safety in case of fire
III. Hygiene Health and the Environment
IV. Safety in Use
V. Protection against noise
VI. Energy economy and heat retention
• Mechanical resistance and stability is
included in the revision of regulation 61ΣΤ
and 61Ζ which was enforced on the
1/1/2012.
• This revision referred to the use of
Eurocodes for the structural design of
building and civil engineering works.
• Safety in use is included in the revision of
articles 8, 9 and 19 of the Law and
regulation 61H. The most important is
the revision of regulation 61H which will
introduce the use of ‘Approved
Document for Safety in Use and
Accessibility’, in the design of buildings
and streets.
• This document includes design methods
and specifications which must be
considered during the design of buildings
and streets so that they comply with the
requirements of the Law which state that
all buildingw and streets must be safe in
use and accessible to all users including
disable people.
• Safety in case of fire is included in the
revision of articles 8,9,15 and 19 of the
Law and the introduction of regulation
61K which will introduce the use of
‘Approved Document for Fire Safety’ in
the design of buildings
• This document includes design methods and
specifications which must be considered during the
design of buildings:
I. the structural stability of the building remains intact
for a given type period·
II. the start and spread of fire and smoke within the
building is limited
III. the spread of fire to neighboring structures is limited·
IV. the users of the building can escape safely within a
given time period·
V. the safety of rescue teams is ensured
• Similar revisions to the Law and the
Regulations will be applied in the near
future to implement the rest of the
requirements.
www.moi.gov.cy
www.moi.gov.cy
tel: 22806400, 22806406
Fax: 22806401
mpanayides@moi.gov.cy
marios@melesoft.com
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