04.10.2023
Every citizen’s right to access safe and affordable housing is non-negotiable, and the government’s efforts to formulate and activate a single comprehensive housing strategy are in the final stages, said Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr Ioannou welcomed a discussion organized by the independent initiative For Limassol on the topic of affordable housing, where he confirmed the government’s intention to continue with the KOG and Limassol Municipality affordable housing project and the implementation of the ktiZO Plan .
Stating that the right to affordable and safe housing is non-negotiable, the minister noted that it is an existing problem that has grown in recent times and which “we must address through a global approach to limit its impact, especially on economically vulnerable groups.”
He also said that “the core components of the Housing Strategy build on the existing housing policy framework, which we strengthen with new plans, to deliver immediate, medium and long-term action in an integrated and sustainable manner to produce affordable housing to ensure social cohesion.”
He stressed that the government, aware of the scale of the problem in Limassol , is concentrating on implementing measures that will limit its consequences. However, he noted that the ministry’s intention to begin implementing an affordable housing project by the Cyprus Land Management Organization in cooperation with the Limassol Municipality has already been announced . “The project is at a fairly mature stage and is included in our plan as a priority, as a project of a predominantly social nature,” he added.
In addition, he recalled the implementation of the “ ktiZO ” Plan, “with the help of which we strive to restore the urban planning and static alteration of apartment buildings in resettlement settlements, which made them unsafe for residents.” This, he continued, is a comprehensive plan to demolish existing apartment buildings and rebuild new ones so that a group of our fellow refugees can have a decent life.
Welcoming the organization of the debate on affordable housing, Konstantinos Ioannou expressed the Ministry of Interior’s willingness to explore possible recommendations and practices that could contribute to better management of housing policy.
