Planning in North Cyprus

1. Who controls planning in North Cyprus?

Central government – Şehir Planlama Dairesi (City Planning Department / TPD)

• The Town (City) Planning Department is the central authority that prepares and oversees most spatial plans.

• It is responsible for:

  • The National Physical Plan (Ülkesel Fizik Planı)

  • Urban development / “imar” plans for specific areas (Lefkoşa, Girne, Gazimağusa–İskele–Yeni Boğaziçi etc.)

  • Issuing planning approvals (sometimes called “planning permission”) under the main planning law.

Municipalities & District Offices

• Municipalities and sometimes District Offices issue the building permit (inşaat ruhsatı / yapı ruhsatı).

• All construction activity is subject to a building permit from the District Office or relevant municipality.

So in simple terms:

City Planning Dept = plan & zoning + planning permission

Municipality/District = building permit & on-the-ground control

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2. Main planning laws and background

a) Town / Urban Development Law – Law 55/1989

This is the core planning law of the TRNC.

• It sets up the legal framework for spatial planning and zoning, including:

  • national physical plan

  • zoning and development plans

  • building regulations, land-use permits, construction restrictions, expropriation and urban renewal tools.

• The law requires preparation of a National Physical Plan and various levels of development plans (environment plan, provisional plans, improvement plans, detailed local plans).

b) Town Planning Department Law – Law 109/1988

• This law formally establishes the Town/City Planning Department, its structure, powers and duties, and its relationship with other bodies.

c) Older colonial legislation – Streets and Buildings Regulation (Cap. 165)

• From the British period, still influential in some technical aspects (drawing standards, structural details, etc.).

d) Constitutional basis

• The TRNC Constitution (Article 44) recognises the state’s role in providing housing and regulating urban development; later laws like 55/1989 sit on top of this.

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3. Types of plans and zoning

Under Law 55/1989 and the work of Şehir Planlama Dairesi, you get several levels of plan:

1. National Physical Plan (Ülkesel Fizik Planı)

   • A country-wide spatial strategy (still politically sensitive and has taken years to finalise).

     
     

2. İmar (Development) Plans for specific regions

   • Examples on the official City Planning site include:

     • Lefkoşa İmar Planı

     • Lefkoşa Kent Merkezi Öncelikli Alan Planı (historic centre)

     • Gazimağusa–İskele–Yeni Boğaziçi İmar Planı

     • Beyarmudu, Mehmetçik etc.

   • The Gazimağusa–İskele–Yeni Boğaziçi Plan was politically contested but finally published in the Official Gazette and came into force in November 2023, giving statutory planning control over that whole strip.

     
     

3. Temporary or “transition” orders (Emirname)

   • When development pressure is high but a full plan is not ready, the government can impose a temporary planning order that restricts or regulates building until a proper plan is adopted – e.g. the Gazimağusa–İskele–Yeni Boğaziçi Geçiş Süreci Emirnamesi in 2018.

     
     

4. Zoning & building controls

   Development plans and related regulations set things like:

   • Land-use: housing, tourism, commercial, industrial, agriculture, protection areas etc.

   • Density & coverage (buildable percentage of the plot, floor area ratios).

   • Building height & number of floors.

   • Setbacks from roads and boundaries, plot sizes, road widths and parking.

Different areas (for example coastal tourist strips vs. inland villages vs. conservation zones) have very different rights, which is why plots that look similar on the ground can have wildly different buildability on paper.

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4. Planning permission vs. building permit

For almost any development you care about – especially anything you’d sell – you’re dealing with two linked but separate stages:

4.1 Planning permission (Planlama Onayı / İmar İzni)

• Granted under Law 55/1989 by the Town Planning Department (sometimes via joint committees with municipalities for local plans).

  
  

• It checks:

  • Is the use allowed in this zone?

  • Are height, density, coverage and setbacks within what the plan allows?

  • Does it respect any coastal, heritage or environmental protections?

4.2 Building permit (İnşaat / Yapı Ruhsatı)

• Once planning approval is obtained, you apply for a building permit from the District Office or Municipality.

  
  

• All construction activity must have such a permit.

  
  

• Typical requirements:

  • Architectural and structural drawings signed by an accredited architect / engineer.

  • Those plans must be visa-stamped by the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers before submission.

In practice you usually entrust this to your architect or project engineer; they know the local municipality, what can be negotiated, and what is non-negotiable.

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5. How the process generally works (practically)

For a “standard” development – say apartments or villas on a zoned plot – the sequence is roughly:

1. Title & zoning check

   • Lawyer checks title type, any encumbrances, road access, and whether there’s an existing plan approval.

   • Architect checks which development plan / emirname applies and what rights the plot has (build coefficient, floors, use, etc.).

     
     

2. Pre-design according to planning rules

   • Sketches prepared respecting height, coverage, setbacks, parking, green area requirements, etc. Based on the applicable imar plan and 55/1989 standards.

     
     

3. Planning application

   • Application with drawings and forms submitted to Şehir Planlama Dairesi / Town Planning (sometimes via municipality).

   • They may request revisions for traffic, access, parking, neighbour impact, coastal protection, etc.

     
     

4. Planning approval letter

   • Issued with conditions (e.g. “max 3 floors”, “underground parking”, “planting strip”, “no basement below X level” etc.).

     
     

5. Building permit application

   • Full structural, MEP, fire safety and detailed architectural drawings signed by a registered architect/engineer.

   • Visa by professional chamber → submitted to Municipality/District Office for the building permit.

     
     

6. Construction & inspections

   • Works proceed; the municipality can carry out inspections and may halt work if you deviate significantly from the approved plans.

     
     

7. Completion / use

   • Ultimately you need a completion certificate or equivalent, so that utilities can be connected and (if you are selling) buyers’ lawyers can see that everything is compliant.

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6. Link between planning and property law (recent, important changes)

Traditionally, many foreign buyers bought off-plan on the strength of a contract, with planning and building approvals still “on the way”. That’s being tightened.

Recent changes to the Immovable Property Law and related regulations:

• Sales contracts & permits are now more strictly tied to planning status.

  
  

• As of mid-May 2025, purchase permit (PTP) applications can only be made for projects with at least planning approval or construction permits; authorities insist on proper documentation.

  
  

• For ongoing projects, the government has signalled that planning approvals and permits must be completed within two years; if not, they can cancel permissions, seize deposits, and even cut utilities in extreme cases.

For anyone buying or developing now, that means:

If the project doesn’t have clear planning approval AND a building permit, you are taking a regulatory risk – not just a delay risk.

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7. Current issues and criticisms of the planning system

Academic work and professional commentary highlight a few recurring problems:

1. Slow and incomplete plan coverage

   • Law 55/1989 envisaged a full national physical plan and comprehensive coverage by development plans, but implementation has been slow and patchy; for years many areas developed only under interim rules.

     
     

2. Political and economic pressures

   • Construction booms (e.g. around the Annan Plan) led to speculative development and environmental pressure, often outpacing planning capacity.

     
     

3. Urban sprawl & infrastructure gaps

   • Research on housing and urban quality (e.g. in Famagusta) shows fragmented urban growth, car dependence and infrastructure lagging behind buildings; planning controls exist on paper but enforcement and coordination are inconsistent.

     
     

4. Local capacity & e-government

   • Studies of e-government in TRNC note that local governments face capacity problems implementing modern planning and permit systems, which feeds into delays and variable service quality.

     
     

5. Coastal & environmental protection

   • The combination of tourism pressure and limited enforcement has created continuing tension between development and environmental/heritage protection, especially along the coast and in historic areas.

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8. Practically: what this means to you if you’re developing or buying

If you’re dealing with land or property in North Cyprus, the key practical points about the planning system are:

1. Everything starts with the zoning / plan

   • Always find out which imar plan or emirname applies, and what it actually allows on that specific parcel.

     
     

2. Planning approval and building permit are separate — you need both

   • A project with only an idea, or even just basic drawings, is legally very weak without these approvals.

     
     

3. Use a local architect AND an independent lawyer

   • Architect to navigate Şehir Planlama and municipality;

   • Lawyer to tie planning status into the contract and title checks (and now, the new Immovable Property Law requirements).

     
     

4. Watch the new 2-year completion rule for permits

   • Especially if you’re looking at large developments or off-plan projects that sound very ambitious; ask directly:

     • “Do you have planning approval?”

     • “Do you have a building permit?”

     • “When were they issued, and will they still be valid given the 2-year deadline rules?” 

       
       

5. Expect variation between municipalities

   • Girne, Famagusta, İskele, Nicosia etc. can differ a lot in how strictly they interpret things like parking, road widths, or minor deviations from the approved plans – but the base legal framework is the same.