Building coefficient
The building coefficient in Cyprus is the ratio of the total covered floor area of all floors of the building or buildings on a plot of land to the net area of the plot. It sets the most floor space you can build on that plot.
Each planning zone has its own building coefficient, and the Department of Town Planning and Housing publishes the zones in force with their coefficients. If a scheme does not comply with the development plan, for example because it goes over the coefficient of its zone, the owner can apply for a planning permit by exception (form EA10).
Building coefficient and coverage ratio
The building coefficient is not the coverage ratio. The coverage ratio is the share of the net plot area that all buildings cover, seen from above, so overhanging upper floors count too, with exceptions such as balconies up to 2 m deep. The building coefficient limits the total floor area of all floors.
Legislation
- Streets and Buildings Regulation Law, Cap. 96
- Town and Country Planning Law of 1972 (Law 90/1972)
- The development plans: the Local Plans, the Area Schemes and the Policy Statement for the countryside
- Various laws and regulations designating protected areas.
Information on planning zones and where to find it
Each planning zone has:
- A building coefficient
- Coverage ratio
- Maximum floors
- Maximum height
- And other details of what you are allowed to build.
The Department of Town Planning and Housing publishes all the development plans in force, with their planning zones and coefficients, on its website. Its IPPODAMOS portal shows planning zones and land uses on a map, with no login needed: hippodamus.tph.moi.gov.cy.
Importance
In Cyprus, the building coefficient sets how much floor space you can build on a plot. Developers design within it and within the other limits of the zone. Buyers of land for development should check the planning zone of a plot and its coefficient before they buy.
The coefficient matters for VAT too. The reduced VAT rate on a home applies to the first 130 sq m of buildable area, measured by the building coefficient rules on the plans submitted for the planning permit, within the limits explained in VAT on property.