Cyprus authorities to present new housing programme for mountain communities

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said that the authorities will present a new housing programme for residents of mountain communities in the coming days. He made the statement in Troodos, at a ceremony honouring top-performing students from mountain areas.

The programme was prepared by the Commissioner for the Development of Mountain Communities together with the Ministry of the Interior. It was preceded by consultations with residents to ensure that the measures matched the communities’ actual needs, the president explained.

The government has already approved two housing schemes for mountain areas. The first offers 570 state-owned plots at a 75% discount on their price. The second provides incentives for families renovating existing homes or developing their own plots, including for relatives, regardless of building-density restrictions.

About 32,000 people currently live in Cyprus’s mountain communities. Christodoulides has set a goal of doubling this number to 64,000 over the next decade. According to him, the state has already invested more than €300 million in over ten housing programmes, resulting in more than 5,500 housing units.

The president also focused on education: full-day schools operate in mountain areas, while primary schools are maintained even in the least populated villages. Classes in secondary schools are opened even for two students, so that access to education remains equal.

The private sector is also joining the effort. The three-year “Empowering Youth” initiative by HELLENiQ ENERGY, worth more than €3 million, will cover mountain communities and the Tilliria area. It includes financial assistance for families and free breakfasts for 660 children in public kindergartens. Another programme, “Warm Embrace”, provides heating for seventeen institutions.