Stakeholders: Local government reform has had a positive impact on the land development sector

One of the most important and topical issues in the field of land development and construction is local government reform.

This is because it directly affects the organisational structure of local authorities and the ability to implement infrastructure projects.

The 19th Property Development & Construction Conference and Exhibition, presented by Exness, hosted a roundtable discussion entitled ‘Local Government Reform – One year later: The impact on the Real Estate sector’ between Constantinos Yiorkadjis, President of the Nicosia District Local Government Organisation, Antonis Kakoullis, Vice President of the Cyprus Property Developers Association, Constantinos Constanti, President of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK), Yiannis Tsouloftas, President of the Limassol District Local Government Organization and Andy Hadjiadamou, CEO, Domo Properties and Board Member, Cyprus Property Developers Association.

Yiorkadjis stressed that the reform was something that had to happen and which has a future with everything better than it was in the past.

A total of eleven authorities were merged into one and the progress every month is enormous, he said, referring to the issuance of planning permits in Nicosia. As for the (online licensing platform) Ippodamos, it is now operating faster than it was when it started, he underlined.

The implementation of the rapid process of examining and issuing urban planning and building permits for low and medium-risk developments by the Ministry of Interior is also positive according to Yiorkadjis, as long as there are immediate, implementable penalties and corrective consequences so that there is accountability and legality, he suggested.

He also suggested, addressing the Ministries, that they stop checking what their colleagues have already checked during the examination of town planning applications.

On his part, Kakoullis said that the Association studied the applications received to say that clever mapping is needed, posting the type of development and when a permit was filed. This will create transparency and at the same time old inventory will be removed.

He congratulated the Ministry of Interior for implementing the expedited process for examining and issuing planning and building permits for low and medium-risk developments, commenting that this was something the industry had been wanting for years. For large projects, expediting procedures for obtaining opinions from various agencies is essential, Kakoullis added.

Constanti said that Cyprus experienced sweeping changes in the local government sector between last year and this year. Problems in the transitional period are to be expected, he said.

"With the click of a button, we can submit an application anywhere in Cyprus, with benefits to productivity and the environment. The reform of local government was done correctly, he stressed, but a lot of work is still needed," Constanti commented.

The simplification of procedures was done correctly, he said, thanking the Ministry of the Interior. There should be no need for paper documents even today, the technology is here and we must utilise it, he underlined, as well as the utilisation of electronic submission to Ippodamos. Simplification in relation to fees is also something that has, correctly, put on the table and is going to Parliament, he said.

Tsouloftas, in his own assessment, said that we are now in a state of partial normality, although there is still a way to go for local self-government.

"The goal is to create modern, flexible, public organisations that have both a business mindset and social and environmental sensitivities," he said. After seven months, it has become clear what the problems are.

He added as follows, "The complete administrative autonomy of organisations is the only way. The slow pace of the public service needs to be completely unblocked," he said, emphasising the need for flexible and fast organisations.

Access for the surveyor to see the progress of applications is one of his suggestions for improving the process regarding the urban planning application system, which, as he said, should be based on AI.

Hadjiadamou, on his part, presented how the local government sector has evolved, providing valuable suggestions for room for improvement. According to him, cooperation between all relevant bodies is the key to success.

Earlier, he spoke about his experience in his capacity and the changes he has recorded with the aim of increasning speed in the sector and efficient reform.

The discussion was coordinated by Yiannis Misirlis, President, Cyprus Property Developers Association and Chairman, Imperio Group.

(Source: InBusinessNews)