The construction of 752 new homes was authorised in December 2020 compared to the 1,107 authorised in December 2019 according to official statistics from the Cyprus Statistical Service; a fall of 32.1%.
Despite a small rise in the number of building permits, with 648 issued compared with 647 in December 2019, their total value fell by 60% and their total area by 44%.
The 648 building permits were authorised for the following:
- Residential buildings – 462
- Community residences -1
- Non-residential buildings – 98
- Civil engineering projects – 21
- Division of plots of land – 52
- Road construction – 14
Building permits for new homes
The 462 residential permits provided for the construction of 752 new homes (dwellings). These comprised 279 single houses, a fall of 21.6% compared to the 356 authorised in December 2019, and 121 multiple housing units including apartments, semis, townhouses and other residential complexes; a small increase of 0.8% compared to the 120 authorised in December 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% |
| May | 907 | 956 | 49 | 5.4% |
| June | 812 | 976 | 470 | 20.2% |
| July | 1,028 | 1,141 |
113 |
11.0% |
| August |
525 |
790 |
265 |
50.5% |
| September |
1,114 |
704 |
-410 |
-36.8% |
| October |
744 |
903 |
159 |
21.4% |
| November |
909 |
831 |
-78 |
-8.6% |
| December |
1,107 |
752 |
-355 |
-32.1% |
| Totals | 9,627 | 9,292 | -355 | -3.5% |
Of those 752 new homes, 326 are destined for Limassol, 253 for Nicosia, 84 for Larnaca, 78 for Paphos and 11 for Famagusta.
Annual figures
During 2020, 7,023 building permits were issued compared to 7,218 in 2019. The total value of these permits fell by 27.3%, their total area by 12.6% and the number of new homes fell by 3.5%.
The number of new homes destined for Nicosia, Paphos and Larnaca fell by 18.2%, 10.9% and 1.5% respectively, while the number rose by 36.6% in Famagusta and by 13.9% in Nicosia.
Construction activity fell in 2020 for the first time in five years. Building permits dropped in the area covered and value, as the industry felt the effects of the disgraced “golden passport” scheme and the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Cyprus Statistical Service “Building permits constitute a leading indicator of future activity in the construction sector.”
Further reading
Press release – Building Permits: December 2020
