THE NUMBER of building permits authorised in April 2016 stood at 437 compared with the 335 authorised in April last year; an increase of 30.4 per cent according to official figures released by the Cyprus Statistical Service.
Compared with April 2015, the total area of these permits rose 8.1% to 47.9 thousand square metres from 44.3 thousand square metres, but their value fell 10.9% to €53.4 million from €59.9 million.
During April, building permits were issued for:
- Residential buildings – 295 permits
- Non-residential buildings – 81 permits
- Civil engineering projects – 14 permits
- Division of plots of land – 42 permits
- Road construction – 5 permits
Building permits for new homes
The 295 residential building permits approved in April provided for the construction of 201 new homes comprising 138 single houses and 63 multiple housing units (such as apartments, semis, townhouses and other residential complexes).
This is an increase of 36.7% compared with April 2015 when building permits were issued for the construction of 147 new homes.
Building Permits Issued for the Construction of
New Homes (Number of Dwellings)
| Month | 2015 (Dwellings) |
2016 (Dwellings) |
Increase/ Decrease |
%age Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 204 | 243 | 39 | 19.1% |
| February | 384 | 312 | -72 | 3.0% |
| March | 297 | 306 | 9 | 3.0% |
| April | 147 | 201 | 54 | 36.7% |
| Total | 1,032 | 1,062 | 30 | 2.9% |
Year to date
During the first four months of 2016 the number of building permits authorised for both residential and non-residential projects has risen by 7.3% to 1,716 compared with the 1,600 authorised in the first four months of 2015.
The total value of these permits has fallen by 5.2% to €298.0 million and their total area has fallen by 4.9% to 279.3 thousand square metres, while the number of housing units has increased by 2.9%.
According to the Cyprus Statistical Service, building permits constitute a leading indicator of future activity in the construction sector.
