• Viable distribution of land uses, including the separation of incompatible uses and the promotion of a balanced mix of compatible ones.

• Sustainable use of natural resources and judicious management of the natural environment.

• Functional integration of multi-centred urban complexes. In the case of Nicosia, this is further elaborated with the stated objective of safeguarding the feasibility of spatial and functional reintegration of the divided city into one whole, at such a time when the Buffer Zone will have been abolished.

• Flexibility and adaptability of adopted policy measures, to facilitate responsiveness to unforeseen situations.

• Efficient and effective use of land designated for development, especially with regard to the timely provision of adequate infrastructure and services.

• Steady improvement of amenities, quality of life and service provision for the entire urban population.

• Promotion of comprehensive and integrated urban development through the implementation of relevant provisions and the adoption of incentives for its encouragement within designated areas.

• Promotion of the concentration of spatial development, as well as social and economic activities, within designated Development Areas.

• Organisation of residential areas in such a way as to achieve a functional balance between population distribution, employment opportunities and service provision.

• Creation of conditions that will permit residential development of such types and intensities to fulfil the needs and requirements of all income groups, through both public and private sector investments, as well as the encouragement of integrated residential development.

• Adoption of innovative measures to resolve long standing operational and other problems in specific urban areas.

• Implementation of forward-looking integrated transportation policies to address present and future needs of urban complexes and their populations.

• Implementation of policy measures to safeguard and upgrade the critical role of urban civic centres as focal points of the four main conurbations and their surrounding districts, especially in the capital city of Nicosia.

• Balanced distribution of commercial activity and uses at strategic nodes of the urban fabric and the hierarchical organisation of commercial cores according to the size of the population served.

• Conservation of elements and areas of special or outstanding natural, historic, cultural and architectural value, in parallel with the adoption of area-specific conservation, rehabilitation and revitalisation programmes.

• Protection and improvement of the natural environment, recognising its importance to the quality of life and the balance of local ecosystems.

• Adequate provision of a hierarchy of public open spaces to strengthen the availability of recreation opportunities for the entire population.

The Integration of National Policies into Spatial Planning

These general goals are expressed through thematic policies, a sampling of which is provided below.

Housing Policy: As evidenced both through the problems and constraints analysis and the list of stated goals, housing issues are at the core of spatial policy considerations. Some of the main provisions of urban housing policy address the designation of areas for residential development, their differentiation according to development densities, building heights and floor areas permitted, the elaboration of parameters concerning non-residential uses considered compatible with residential ones and the requirements under which such uses may be permitted, as well as the provision of incentives to promote specific housing policy objectives, such as the encouragement of integrated residential development, or in the case of the Nicosia greater urban area, the encouragement of housing development in areas adversely affected by the city’s division and the presence of the UN Buffer Zone.

Transportation Policy: This is formulated in cooperation with other competent Government agencies, including the Public Works Department and other services of the Ministry of Communications and Works, partly through the deliberations of a national ad hoc umbrella committee for the examination of traffic problems. This has become necessary since transportation networks at the national, regional and local levels fall under the jurisdiction of various authorities. Thus, transportation policies formulated within Development Plans have become an invaluable tool for the coordination and integration of all relevant policies at local and conurbation levels. Transportation spatial policy is expressed through the designation and publication of a hierarchy of primary, secondary and tertiary road networks to which several other spatial policies correspond, the formulation and implementation of traffic management and public transport policies, as well as through the designation of adequate parking, pedestrian and bicycle routes.

Commercial Policy: Considering the predominance of the tertiary sector in the economy, commercial spatial policy is directed towards two main objectives: On one hand, the efficient allocation of commercial activity in a multi-centred urban system based on market dynamics, and on the other hand, the protection of public amenities and the image of the urban environment from the negative impacts of commercial development. Specific policy measures and provisions are in place for the Central Business District in each of the main towns, several designated Regional Retail Centres in every conurbation, three distinct types of Activity Corridors (classed according to their role within the transportation network and the types of activity permitted), Local Retail Centres and historic urban cores in satellite towns, as well as the organisation and location of specialised retail development, in particular that of department stores, commercial complexes and hypermarkets. Moreover, this policy contains measures and provisions that address the infiltration of retail uses in non-commercial areas, the location of convenience stores at the neighbourhood level, the organisation and location of office space, the location of petrol stations etc.

Industrial Policy: With the gradually diminishing economic importance of the secondary sector and in view of its inherent structural weaknesses, industrial spatial policy expresses not only the need for the protection of public amenities and the environment, but also the priorities and objectives of the government Strategic Development Plan, the current industrial policy of which is based on the attraction and development of high technology industries, the restructuring and support of existing industries, the improvement of productivity, and the attraction of foreign investment. To this effect, measures and provisions have recently been introduced in relation to Research and Development Centres and enterprise incubators, through the designation of Mixed Zones of Industrial and Commercial Activities. Industrial development is already categorised according to its environmental impact and is constrained, where indicated, within designated Industrial Areas. Specific sets of additional provisions cover workshops, warehouses and high-tech development, while measures are stipulated for the upgrading of the urban environment within existing Industrial Areas and the protection of adjacent non-industrial uses.

Agricultural Policy: Clearly, agricultural policy does not feature prominently within spatial plans for the main urban areas, although there are specific and stringent provisions for the location of animal and poultry farms, abattoirs etc. On the contrary, in spatial plans for quasi-rural municipalities surrounded by large agricultural areas, as well as in the Policy Statement for the Countryside, relevant spatial policy integrates the agricultural policies of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment, concentrating on the protection of prime agricultural land and irrigation resources.

Tourism Policy: Due to the significance of the tourism sector to the economy of Cyprus, tourism spatial policy expresses not only the need to control the undesirable side-effects of mass tourism development, but also the priorities and objectives of the government Strategic Tourism Plan, prepared by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation in consultation with a wide spectrum of stakeholders, the objectives and priorities of which are based on the attraction of quality tourism with longer stays and higher spending, the increase of tourist arrivals, the improvement of seasonality and the diversification of the tourist product, including further development of special interest tourism. Consequently, apart from basic functional and organisation concerns for tourist establishments, tourism spatial policy provisions address the control of intensity and quality of tourist development, the integration of amenities in tourist area design considerations and the improved integration of these areas into the overall urban fabric, as well as the encouragement of tourist product diversification through the promotion of a healthy mix of uses in tourist areas. Relevant measures and provisions also cover the designation of tourist zoning in coastal areas, the conditions for the mix of uses, location and organisation requirements for mixed use destination resorts, conditions for the tourist use of architectural heritage, conditions for the permission of retail, recreation and entertainment development within tourist areas etc. Tourism development is governed by specifically formulated basic design parameters and is bound by a set of published approval and implementation procedures with the involvement of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation at various stages.

Education Policy: Educational spatial policy is formulated in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture. Its main objectives include the timely earmarking and setting aside of adequate land for the future needs of the education system, the enforcement of a set of minimum requirements concerning school grounds and facilities, and the appropriate consideration of the interaction between school sites and transportation networks. Measures and provisions of this policy address location requirements for different types of public and private educational establishments, permitted school-building densities, the encouragement of multiple uses for public school-buildings, as well as general requirements for educational establishments, including standards on facility provision, safe and efficient access and accessibility, design quality etc.

Health and Welfare Policy: Health and welfare spatial policy is formulated in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Work and Social Insurance. Spatial ramifications of relevant Government policies concentrate on the provision of adequate transportation infrastructure around the new public General Hospitals in each conurbation, the integration of health and welfare centres at the local level, and the adoption of sets of measures and provisions concerning the location and other characteristics of private clinics, health services etc.

Environmental Policy: National policy concerning the environment is formulated and implemented by the Environment Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment, although other government agencies may be responsible for specific areas, such as the Department of Forests, and the Fisheries Department within the same Ministry, the Game Fund Service within the Ministry of the Interior, the Department of Work Inspection for air quality etc. Spatial ramifications of environmental policy are expressed both through the designation of protected natural areas, as well as through control procedures in place for the approval of various types of development, including industrial and large-scale commercial, mines and quarries and so forth, in order to meet environmental quality objectives. Thus, all such development is bound by published approval and implementation procedures to establish its possible impact on the environment, involving consultation with competent authorities as indicated. To assess the impact of urban policy itself on the environment, the precepts of Strategic Environmental Assessment are currently being incorporated into the planning system.

Conservation Policy: Conserving the island’s architectural heritage is one of the most important missions of the Department of Town Planning and Housing. In addition to the formulation of area-specific integrated conservation policies within each Development Plan, often accompanied by sets of restoration and intervention guidelines according to local parameters, the Department independently promotes an active programme of incentive provision for the rehabilitation of listed buildings and structures by the private sector. Based on the provisions of the 1972 Town and Country Planning Law, as well as legislation concerning the establishment of a Special Conservation Fund, the package of incentives currently available to owners includes, in addition to direct grants that cover up to 50% of the acknowledged restoration cost, generous tax deductions, such as exemption of restoration costs and rents obtained thereupon from income tax, refund of property transfer fees and exemption from the property tax, as well as transfer of development rights, that is of the remaining unused permitted plot ratio of listed properties within urban regions to specified commercial and tourist areas.

Landscape Policy: This is the newest in a spectrum of thematic policies addressing issues of natural and cultural heritage. Although a landscape protection policy had been included in the Policy Statement for the Countryside (PSC) since the early 1990s, an updated policy on the protection, management and planning of landscapes, based on the Florence Convention, is under preparation for inclusion in the revised PSC. A similar landscape policy has already been included in the Levkara Local Plan, published in 2003 for a small town and its surrounding countryside, an area rich in cultural and natural heritage. With the forthcoming implementation of the Convention, landscape policies will gradually be included in all Development Plans.

Other Spatial Policies: In a similar manner, a wide spectrum of other spatial policies is integrated within Development Plans, where appropriate. Such policies concern sports and recreation, cultural infrastructure, antiquities and archaeological sites, public utilities, public works, mines and quarries, specialised development, development outside designated areas and so forth. In addition, area-specific urban policies address, for example, historic settlements and traditional urban neighbourhoods, selected civic functions and urban centres, new fast-developing areas or other strategic locations, such as the southern “gateway” to the greater Nicosia conurbation. Additional thematic spatial policies covering issues such as development densities, parking requirements, advertisements and motorway billboards, wind power generators and parks, energy and telecommunications infrastructure and networks etc. have been formulated or are under study. All such policies may be published, according to the provisions of the 1972 Town and Country Planning Law, within specific Development Plans, as appendices to these – with countrywide application, or as Minister’s Orders or Directions.

Strategic Development Policy: More recently, a series of new urban policies have been introduced in order to integrate the goals and objectives of the current Strategic Development Plan into the spatial planning system. These include the designation of Strategic Areas for the location of large-scale comprehensive development in health and education, sports and recreation, research and development, culture and media, business parks etc., and provide category-specific measures and provisions, in addition to basic requirements concerning construction quality, safety and access, as well as a statement on the desirability of mixed uses, including housing and landscape planning. Such development is governed by specifically formulated basic design parameters and is bound by a set of published approval and implementation procedures.

• Designation of Development Areas where land uses can be assigned according to the provisions of Development Plans.

• Gradation of appropriate development intensities according to land use type within designated Development Areas.

• Indication of the desirable degree of land use and activity mixing within designated Development Areas.

• Planning of infrastructure distribution (main road and utility networks, location of public services such as health and education facilities etc.) within designated Development Areas.

• Implementation of additional policy measures, including the planning and execution of Planning Schemes and Priority Projects, to ensure the quality of the urban environment over and above the quality assured by the tools above.

The character of each Development Area is essentially defined through these tools, with the ultimate objective of promoting, over the medium term horizon, the concentration of urban population and employment opportunities within its limits.