Delays in planning approvals in Cyprus were on the agenda on Thursday when the Cyprus Federation of Building Contractors Associations (OSEOK) met with the Presidents of the District Local Government Organisations (DLGO) during a working lunch.
OSEOK President, Stelios Gavriel, underscored the persistent delays affecting development permits, reaffirming the Federation’s commitment to supporting efforts to streamline and accelerate the approval process.
The DLGO Presidents stressed that fast-tracking planning approvals and stimulating investment activity remain central to their mission. They noted that achieving these objectives will require greater administrative autonomy, the completion of staffing structures, and strengthened revenue bases to support operational efficiency.
Despite inheriting a substantial backlog of pending applications in July 2024, the DLGO Presidents reported encouraging signs of progress. Application processing rates now exceed the number of new submissions, signalling gradual improvement in the system’s capacity and performance.
Cyprus: slowest planning approvals in EU
Adding further context to the challenges facing the sector, a recent European Commission report, “Housing in the European Union: Market Developments, Underlying Drivers, and Policies” revealed that Cyprus has the longest average timeframe for completing all construction-related procedures in the EU, at 507 days.
Cyprus was followed by Slovakia (300 days) and Romania (260 days), highlighting a notable gap between Cyprus and other Member States. Meanwhile, Denmark (64 days), Finland (65 days), and Lithuania (74 days) recorded the fastest completion times.
The report emphasised that regulatory stringency and implementation vary widely across Europe, reflecting differences in administrative frameworks and national priorities.
(The findings were based on World Bank 2020 data.)
