our services

Unlock the full potential of your property

Navigating Cyprus’ planning system can be complex, but it also offers unique opportunities. Unlike many countries, the Cypriot framework grants Planning Authorities wide discretionary powers. This means that, under certain conditions, developments may be approved even when they slightly diverge from strict regulations. In addition, special policy incentives can significantly increase the permitted building area, enhancing both the development potential and the overall value of your property.

Our Development Rights Studies cut through this regulatory complexity, providing you with a clear and detailed assessment of your property’s potential. Each study identifies:

• The development uses permitted on your site.

• Incentives that can be utilised to expand buildable area.

• Possible relaxations that may be pursued.

• Applicable conditions, restrictions, and requirements.

We go beyond simple reports — our comprehensive studies include technical analysis, spatial documentation, and alternative development scenarios. This equips you with all the insights needed to make informed decisions and achieve the most profitable and beneficial use of your property.

Identify the opportunities to upgrade your property’s planning status

One of the most important features of the Cypriot planning system is the opportunity it offers citizens and local authorities to actively participate in spatial planning. During specific stages of the review of development plans (Local Plan, Area Plan, or Policy Statement), property owners may submit proposals or appeals regarding the intended or existing planning zones and their accompanying provisions.

Within this framework, we provide a comprehensive assessment of your property and its surrounding area, recording and evaluating their development characteristics. Based on this analysis, we prepare well-documented and realistic proposals on the possibilities for amending the planning status of your property.

Our submissions are supported by detailed mapping and clear technical evidence, ensuring that your proposals are presented with precision, clarity, and persuasiveness — maximising the chances of a successful outcome.

Shape the future with adaptability, flexibility, and vision

Large-scale properties and complex developments require more than just architectural design. They demand a cohesive, long-term development framework — a master plan — that can guide growth with clarity, flexibility, realism, and vision. Importantly, master plans can be formally submitted to the Planning Authority for approval and may be granted Planning Permission.

Our approach to master planning focuses on five key dimensions:

• Adaptability to future changes: We design with flexibility in mind, allowing for changes in land uses without disrupting the overall coherence of the plan.

• Integration of networks and infrastructure: We organise buildings, circulation, green spaces, and infrastructure into one unified and functional system.

• Incorporation of development incentives: We ensure the plan can accommodate future policy incentives that may enhance development potential.

• Phased implementation: Our plans are structured to allow step-by-step execution without compromising functionality or quality.

• Alignment with institutional and local conditions: Each plan is tailored to the specific planning context and development objectives of the area.

The result is a “living” master plan — one that evolves alongside market needs and investor aspirations, ensuring long-term value and sustainable development.

Find the right place for the right activity

The success of any development is strongly influenced by its location — its relationship with existing or future activities, its accessibility to infrastructure, services, goods, and suppliers, as well as its position within the urban system and the wider settlement network.

Locational analysis aims either to identify the ideal site for a specific use or activity, or to compare alternative sites in terms of their suitability. This is a highly complex analytical process, requiring:

• Consideration of planning, spatial, ecological, investment, and operational constraints.

• Application of specialised methodologies and advanced analytical techniques.

• Use of mapping tools and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

• Balanced evaluation of results in line with the goals and priorities of the client.

The outcome is a clear, evidence-based recommendation that ensures the chosen location supports long-term functionality, efficiency, and success.

Understand the Authority’s position and strengthen your case

Before submitting any planning application, it is crucial to know the likely stance of the Planning Authority. The Cypriot planning system allows both formal and informal consultations with the Authority, enabling applicants to anticipate its position and adjust their development strategy accordingly. Consultations are therefore a valuable tool for reducing uncertainty and increasing the chances of approval.

Informal consultations typically involve meetings with planning officers, where initial ideas and intentions are discussed. While not legally binding, these discussions provide valuable guidance for shaping the development proposal.

Formal consultations are carried out through the procedure of Preliminary Review. In this case, the Planning Authority issues a binding opinion valid for one year (under certain conditions).

Within this framework, we manage the entire consultation process — whether formal or informal — including the preparation of arguments, supporting documentation, and representation before the Authority, ensuring your case is presented clearly and effectively.

Secure development rights beyond the provisions of the Development Plan

Applications by exception are a critical feature of the Cypriot planning system, as they allow the approval of developments that do not fully comply with the provisions of the existing development plan — provided that special reasons exist and sufficient justification is presented. This tool offers flexibility, particularly for properties with unique characteristics or for projects that promote public interest, innovation, or local development.

We undertake the entire process of preparing and supporting departure applications, which includes:

• Feasibility assessment of the submission of a departure application and its impacts, compared with alternative approaches.

• Technical and planning documentation to justify the departure.

• Preparation of supporting material.

• Consultation with the Planning Authority and monitoring of the application’s progress.

Our experience and familiarity with planning practice ensure that every application is submitted with strong justification and a higher likelihood of approval.

Manage and deliver demanding projects with consistency and a clear strategy

Complex developments, such as tourist resorts, mixed-use developments, shopping malls, or large residential projects, require a combination of strategic thinking, technical expertise, and administrative coordination.

Their size, complexity, and multi-phase implementation make specialised coordination essential at every stage of design and permitting. Effective coordination ensures that project requirements are met, investor needs are understood, and all stakeholders — architects, engineers, investors, and authorities — are synchronised towards a common goal.

We take on this role with professionalism and responsibility, guiding your project from the stage of strategic planning through to final permitting, ensuring efficiency, clarity, and success at every step.

Capturing reality as the foundation of every documentation

To survey urban space, we combine specialised survey methodologies with thematic mapping and GIS tools, delivering a precise, objective, structured, and in-depth representation of reality.

Surveys are an essential step in understanding the opportunities and constraints for developing a property. They may include:

• Land uses and urban uses.

• Buildings and their architectural characteristics (heights, condition, construction materials, architectural quality, building typology, etc.).

• Zoning characteristics, as well as deviations from the as-of-right development rights.

• Social, demographic, ecological, transportation, and other aspects of the built environment.

A technical report and multiple thematic maps, spatially illustrating the surveyed characteristics, accompany each survey. Such material can:

• Facilitate the understanding of a site’s particularities and support optimal architectural design.

• Highlight the advantages and disadvantages of a property and its wider area, assisting in property valuation.

• Assist the Planning Authority exercise its discretionary powers based on the specific features of the site.

• Provide an objective basis for consultations with the Planning Authority.

Identify your property’s constraints and move forward with a clear development plan

Plot division — the conversion of a single land parcel into separate plots — is often the first step in unlocking the development potential of your property. This process requires the allocation of certain parts of the property for roads, public green spaces, and community facilities, while at the same time defining the net, usable portion of the land.

Plot division is a complex process, as properties are often subject to legal or planning constraints that may not be visible on a simple site plan or survey. These may arise from:

• Published or draft road-widening schemes.

• Planning permissions issued for neighbouring properties.

• Topography and natural features (e.g., streams).

• The need to provide access to adjacent landlocked plots.

• Rights of way or other special usage conditions affecting the plot or neighbouring land.

We work with landowners, land valuers, architects, and land developers who require a reliable, well-documented approach to property development that reduces uncertainty and avoids future disputes.

Our services include:

• Technical assessment of existing conditions.

• Mapping of all constraints.

• Consultations with the Planning Authority.

• Preparation of a preliminary plot division plan.

• Submission of the planning application for plot division.

Mapping planning – Visualising strategy

Modern urban planning is inseparable from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and thematic cartography. Through these tools, we can understand spatial relationships, reveal patterns, identify trends and opportunities, and design with precision.

Our services are aimed at private clients, consultancy firms, local authorities, and NGOs seeking to:

• Gain an in-depth understanding of the different dimensions of the urban space.

• Support their interventions with spatial accuracy and scientific credibility.

• Develop their own GIS systems tailored to their specific needs.

With GIS and cartographic analysis, we transform complex data into clear visual insights, enabling better decision-making, stronger documentation, and more effective planning strategies.

Implementing innovative planning practices through European projects and research

Participation in co-funded projects and research programmes is a key part of our philosophy and culture. These initiatives provide opportunities to collaborate with universities, expand technical and scientific expertise, and exchange knowledge across disciplines.

Our involvement may include:

• Contributing to extended working groups.

• Delivering specialised work packages.

• Coordinating parts of, or even entire, European programmes.

Through research and EU-funded projects, we integrate innovation, scientific rigour, and practical expertise into our work — ensuring that planning solutions are not only relevant today, but also anticipate the challenges of tomorrow.

Solutions where standard procedures are not enough

Every property and development project can present unique challenges that are not fully addressed by standard planning procedures. Our firm provides specialised consultancy for complex or sensitive cases, offering expertise, discretion, and strategic support.

Examples of cases we handle include:

o   Planning violations requiring regularisation or legalisation.

o   Technical support in planning appeals.

o   Preparation of detailed technical reports for judicial or administrative use.

o   Planning documentation for family or land registry matters.

o   Assessment of planning impacts from third-party projects on your property.

Our approach is both discreet and technically robust, allowing us to manage each case methodically and responsibly. With deep expertise in planning and permitting, we ensure that even the most demanding cases are handled with professionalism, strategic insight, and confidence.