The district offices of the Department for Town Planning and Housing will close on June 14, and as of that date will no longer accept applications from the public, the government announced on Monday. The department’s district offices will stop functioning altogether as of Friday, June 14, in preparation for the transition to the new system of local government kicking off on July 1, which will see five district-level organisations take over the role of the Department for Town Planning and Housing. The new five district-level organisations will operate in the districts of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, and Famagusta.
Closure of Offices and Transition Timeline
As such, as of 3pm on June 14, the various offices of the Department for Town Planning and Housing will stop receiving any paper applications. On the same date and time, they will also stop receiving any electronic applications filed via the ‘Ippodamos’ system. According to the interior ministry, operation of the ‘Ippodamos’ system will be suspended from June 17 to June 30, in order to transition away from the old system to the new one that will come in on July 1.
From Monday, June 3 to Friday, June 14, the district offices of the Department for Town Planning and Housing will continue receiving applications from members of the public, via appointment as per normal procedures. Meanwhile, on June 14, the department’s citizen service centres will also cease to operate. Until then, the service centres will continue to operate at normal work hours, Monday through Friday from 8am to 3pm.
From Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 28, the district offices of the Department for Town Planning and Housing will be closed to the public. During this time, preparations will take place for relocating to the new district-level organisations, which will go operational on July 1.
In the announcement, the department regrets any inconvenience that may be caused and thanks the public for their patience and understanding. In addition to taking over town planning and building permits, the five district-level organisations – part of the new system of local government – will also replace the current district water boards and sewerage boards.
