2. Planning and Permissions
2.1 Land
Land in Northern Cyprus is measured in dönüms.
- 1 acre = approx 3 dönüms or 4046 m² or 43560 ft²
- 1 dönüm = 1338 m² or 14400 ft² or 1/3 acre
- 1 dönüm = 4 evleks
- 1 evlek = 3600 ft² (1/4 of a donum)
Foreign buyers may purchase up to 1 dönüm of land per family name.
(A North Cyprus dönüm is larger than Turkish or Greek)
2.2 Planning Controls and Development Guidelines
- Planning permission is a relatively simple process controlled initially by the Chamber of Architects, District Planning Office and the related municipality where the land is located. All affected government and municipal offices, including utilities, review and have to approve the plan and once the municipality has accepted the plans, work may commence. Upon completion of the project, the District Planning Office makes the final check and approves the house planning and issue a final approval certificate.
- The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus operates excellent environmental control by requiring that, outside the Municipal boundaries, some areas only 20%, or sometimes less, of the land area can be built on and a height restriction of two stories is normal. Obviously there are lands not affected by any zoning plan which have 50 % building density and no vertical height restriction.
- In parcelisation developments, 10% of the development must also be designated as "green area", ensuring that either high-rise or overcrowded developments can spoil the countryside.
2.3 Construction
- Most buildings are constructed in the reinforced concrete frame system that is prevalent in the Mediterranean countries.
- Our North Cyprus properties are constructed to a very high structural specification, which is a great benefit and comfort to our buyers.
- Excellent finishing materials, such as marble, stone and wood, are readily available from Turkey, Spain, Italy, Germany and UK.
- Our construction teams are both experienced and reputable and all our buildings carry a 10-year building guarantee.
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