Property owners affected by the recent Limassol fire face reduced compensation due to decades-old planning violations that have been exposed by the disaster, with unlicensed buildings eligible for only 25% of restoration costs.
An estimated 90-130 homeowners will not receive full compensation unless they obtain proper licensing from Limassol’s planning authority or the Development Deviation Study Council, depending on the specific violations.
The reduced compensation stems from regulations stipulating that unlicensed structures receive only a quarter of restoration costs. Officials estimate 20%-30% of the 440 buildings partially or totally destroyed lack proper permits.
Compensation shortfall
Under current rules, a homeowner facing €200,000 in restoration costs for a completely destroyed unlicensed property would receive only €50,000 in state assistance.
However, the Interior Ministry believes properties within residential zones of affected communities will be easier to license. The Limassol District Local Government Organisation is expected to show flexibility for violations that are not conspicuous.
The 20%-30% figure for unlicensed properties emerged during planning meetings, though precise percentages will be determined during the damage compensation application process.
Damage assessment
Limassol District Administration surveys revealed damage to 440 residences, with 211 completely destroyed and 229 partially damaged.
The scale exceeds previous disasters, with the burnt area double that of the 2012 mountainous Larnaca fire, where 80% of affected buildings lacked proper permits. That earlier fire consumed 55 square kilometres of forest land.
Agricultural losses
Commissioner of the Cyprus Agricultural Payment Organisation Andreas Kyprianou reported 4,353 unique agricultural plots covering 13,667 decares were burnt. The affected zone includes 1,712 vineyards spanning 5,215 decares, 1,509 arable crop plots covering 5,150 decares, 778 tree crop areas encompassing 1,730 decares, and 96 grazing areas totalling 523 decares.
Fourteen livestock farms operate within the approximately 125 square kilometre burnt area.
Historical context
The 2021 Solia fire, which primarily affected forest land across 18.5 square kilometres, caused an estimated €110 million in damages according to the then-Forestry Department director.
The current fire’s impact on buildings is several times greater than the 2012 Larnaca mountain fire, which destroyed over 60 homes plus other structures, crops, greenhouses, workshops and public utility infrastructure.
The total restoration costs for the Limassol fire remain undetermined as damage assessments continue.
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