In April 2020, the second month during which COVID-19 containment measures continued to apply in Cyprus, 195 building permits were issued; a fall of 62.5% compared to April 2019 according to official figures released by the Cyprus Statistical Service.
The total value of these permits fell by 89.1% and their total area by 77.1%, reaching €81.1 million 62.3 thousand square metres respectively.
These building permits authorised the construction of 339 new homes, a fall of 54.3% compared to the 742 authorised in April 2019.
During April 2020, the 195 permits were authorised for:
- Residential buildings – 145 permits
- Community residences – 1 permit
- Non-residential buildings – 20 permits
- Civil engineering projects – 12 permits
- Division of plots of land – 14 permits
- Road construction – 3 permits
Building permits for new homes
The 145 residential permits provided for the construction of 339 new homes (dwellings). These comprised 85 single houses; a fall of 69.2% compared to the 276 authorised in April 2019 – and 60 multiple housing units including apartments, semis, townhouses and other residential complexes; a fall of 38.8% compared to the 98 authorised in April 2019.
Building Permits Issued for the Construction of New Homes
(Number of Dwellings)
Month | 2019 (Dwellings) | 2020 (Dwellings) | Increase/Decrease | %age Change |
---|---|---|---|---|
January | 548 | 696 | 148 | 27.0% |
February | 576 | 680 | 104 | 18.1% |
March | 615 | 524 | -91 | -14.8% |
April | 742 | 339 | -403 | -54.3% |
Totals | 2,481 | 2,239 | -242 | -9.8% |
Of those 339 new homes, 164 are destined for Nicosia, 82 for Limassol, 81 for Larnaca, 8 for Paphos and 4 for Famagusta.
Annual construction figures
A total of 1,721 building permits were authorised during the first four months of 2020, compared to 2,111 in the same period last year. Their total value rose fell by 53% and their total area fell by 26.5%. The number of permits authorised for the construction of new homes fell by 9.6%.
The 1,247 residential building permits authorised during the first four months of 2020 provided for the construction of 2,239 new homes; 782 in Nicosia, 764 in Limassol, 248 in Paphos, 302 in Larnaca and 143 in Famagusta.
According to the Cyprus Statistical Service, building permits constitute a leading indicator of future activity in the construction sector.