The Audit Office has identified significant shortcomings in the process for granting planning permits by exemption, warning that what is intended as an exception risks becoming the norm and effectively operating as a parallel licensing pathway beyond the provisions of development plans.
According to a special report on the Council for the Study of Planning Exemptions, cases were identified where unauthorised developments were licensed retrospectively despite previous rejections, enforcement notices and negative recommendations from competent authorities.
“Of particular significance are cases in which the exemption procedure was used for the retrospective licensing of developments that had already been completed or were operating without the required permits. The audit showed that the Council of Ministers, following recommendations from the Council for the Study of Planning Exemptions, approved planning permits in specific cases for unauthorised developments,” the report states.
A notable example involved premises in an industrial zone that had originally been licensed as warehouses but were operating unlawfully as a supermarket.
Previous applications for a change of use had been rejected in 2012 and 2014, while two enforcement notices had also been issued.
The planning authority again recommended rejection, warning that approval could be interpreted as rewarding unauthorised development.
“The Council for the Study of Planning Exemptions also recorded that the development substantially affected the overall strategy of the applicable Development Plan, encouraged trends of uncontrolled development and undermined fundamental planning regulations. Nevertheless, it recommended approval of a temporary planning permit valid for four years, a recommendation that was adopted by the Council of Ministers,” the report notes.
Long delays
The report also highlights substantial delays in the examination of applications.
Between 2020 and 2023, the average processing time ranged from 25 to 31 months, while in some cases procedures lasted for more than a decade.
According to the Audit Office, such delays allow illegal or unlicensed developments to become established facts on the ground.
Unexplained departures from recommendations
The report further identifies frequent divergences between the recommendations of planning authorities and those of the Council for the Study of Planning Exemptions, without sufficient justification always being provided.
It also records instances where initial recommendations for rejection were later converted into positive recommendations following referrals back from the Council of Ministers, despite no significant new evidence emerging in the case files.
Calls for stricter controls
Among its recommendations, the Audit Office calls for:
- A review of the planning exemption framework.
- A stricter approach towards unauthorised developments.
- Clearer assessment criteria.
- Greater transparency in compensatory measures.
- Stronger monitoring mechanisms for applications.
The report argues that such measures are necessary to safeguard the credibility and integrity of Cyprus' planning system.
Source: Politis
