25.11.2022
Urban planning zones in rural areas are being reviewed, interior minister Nikos Nouris said on Friday after meeting with Union of Commons president Andreas Kitromeldis. According to the minister, the purpose of the review is to modernize urban development zones so that they can support the modern needs of the village.
“Today we are announcing a revision of the Rural Policy Statement. In other words, the process of revising and modifying urban development zones in rural areas begins with the aim of modernizing them and, of course, giving them the ability to support the modern needs of the socio-political and economic development of the village,” said Mr. Nuris.
The review covers planning zones in 36 geographic regions and will be completed in three stages, the first of which will begin on December 9 and last for four months, followed by subsequent stages at a timeline to be announced, with the intention of completing the process during 2023.
“In this way, we are creating the conditions for urban, economic and cultural activities in our village,” he said, adding that this is “fully in line with the targeted actions and holistic approach that we are taking to revive our village so that it prospers. And, of course, this is how we solve, among other things, the problems of urbanization that plague the countryside today.”
According to the ministry, requests should be submitted to the information system “Hippodamos” and local governments are required to provide citizens with the opportunity to discuss the amendments that will be requested, and then make public the final proposals, which they will submit to the competent authorities tools for study and evaluation.
Emergency financial assistance to residents of settlements with a height of more than 600 m.
During the meeting, the minister also announced the decision of the Council of Ministers of November 9 to provide one-time emergency assistance to all residents of settlements with a height of more than 600 m, who are recipients of the allowance in question in the year 2022.
The emergency allowance is 50% of the existing allowance to help alleviate the problems faced by the residents of these areas.
There are 9,740 households using the plan. Additional costs will amount to 2.6 million euros, while the total costs will be 7.8 million euros.
Added 7 communities to “mountainous and remote areas”
Also, as the minister noted, as an exception, the Ministry of Internal Affairs decided to add seven more settlements to the Plan to support residents of mountainous regions with a height of more than 600 meters.
These settlements are not yet included in the plan, since their residential area is located at an altitude of less than 600 m, but “specific areas have geographical specifics, they are surrounded by other settlements already included in the plan, and due to their geographical features, it was decided to include them into the plan, starting from the 1st,” Mr. Nuris noted.
“This decision will benefit 1,092 residents of specific communities, and the additional costs that will be required will amount to 250,000 euros.”
Communities: Mesana, Monagry, Doros, Kedares, Limnatis, Kapileiio and Agios Ambrosios Limassol.
Retirement remuneration of heads of communities
Mr. Nouris also said that from January 1, the pension provision of community leaders will be fully restored at the level of 2013 at the request of the Union of Communities. The Council of Ministers on August 31 decided to gradually restore compensation over the next three years.
However, given the “difficult economic situation” and broader agreements to restore wages to pre-crisis levels in 2013, the decision was made to fully restore wages from the new year.
“I am pleased to report that after consulting with the Minister of Finance, we have decided today that we will proceed with the full restoration of compensation to pensioners,” he said.
Additional costs amount to 610,000 euros and are expected to be covered by funds from the Ministry of the Interior. In addition, it is recalled that the request for a monthly pension and 13th compensation to the leaders of the communities and the occupied communities, equal to 50% of the pension compensation of the leaders of the communities of the free regions, has already been satisfied.
Inclusion of the communities of Mammari, Dénia and Trullo in the category “Mountain and disadvantaged areas”.
The discussion was also attended by the leaders of the communities of Mammari and Trullon, who, together with the leader of the community of Dénia, demanded that they be upgraded from the category “Critical areas” to the category “Mountains and disadvantaged areas”. The Minister announced that their request was accepted as they are the only communities located entirely in the Dead Zone.
With the update, communities will receive higher financial support. For example, a family of three is entitled to a maximum assistance of 40,000 euros.
“The goal and objective is not only financial gain,” the minister said, but also “providing an opportunity to attract especially young people who want or want to stay and build their own housing in our three communities that are in the neutral zone. This is due to the obvious reasons for the increase in population density.
“The Government, and especially the President of the Republic, is particularly sensitive to the issues and problems facing the Cypriot countryside and of course our communities,” said the Minister, adding that “it is in this context that we have recently considered all the problems that either pending or awaiting a decision, and today I am pleased to announce our decisions on all pending cases that we have in the Home Office that concern the interests of communities and, of course, citizens who live in rural areas.
For his part, the President of the Union of Cypriot Communities, Andreas Kitromeldis, said he was quite pleased with what the Minister of the Interior said today. “These have been constant requests from the Union of Communities for several years, and therefore I am obliged to express my satisfaction and the satisfaction of the Union of Communities of Cyprus with today’s statements that we heard from the Minister.”
