Antalya court orders suspension of construction plan at Cleopatra Cove

ANTALYA

A court in the Mediterranean province of Antalya has suspended the execution of a zoning plan opening the Cleopatra Cove in the resort Kemer district to construction.

The move came after some locals living in the region, the Antalya Office of the Chamber of Architects and Antalya Bar Association took the case to the court, demanding that the relevant “Tekirova Natural Park Development Plan” be suspended and cancelled.

Antalya Bar Association President Polat Balkan said during a press conference on April 11 that a commission of experts conducted a field analysis on Feb. 21, after they filed a lawsuit, if the relevant zoning plan would be “for the benefit of citizens.”

The commission later submitted the report to the Antalya 3rd Administrative Court which ruled that the construction plan be suspended for the time being.

Balkan told the reporters that the court had said in its ruling “the opening of the area is not indispensable and imperative in terms of public benefit.”

The court also said in its ruling that any construction in the area would “damage plant cover, forest structure, and therefore biological diversity” and thus “is not for the public benefit,” according to Balkan.

The Antalya Bar Association announced in June 2018 that it would take legal action against the administration over a rent contract for the Cleopatra Cove.

The association said the tender conducted by the Natural Protection and National Parks General Directorate in May 2018 is against the law and such decisions should be made only if it is beneficial for the public.

In July 2018, the bar and the Antalya Office of the Chamber of Architects filed a lawsuit concerning the consortium of three companies that won the 29-year-long rent contract for the 12-hectare plot of Tekirova National Park, including the cove, by offering an annual payment of 505,000 Turkish Liras.

They stressed that the Forestry and Agriculture Ministry did not have any authority to allow zone planning in that area.

In March, the Antalya Office of the Chamber of Architects and Antalya Bar Association issued a joint statement regarding the issue, saying that the relevant zoning plan and the long-term development plans had not been shared publicly to “block the public’s right to information and legal remedies.”

“It is our deepest wish for our public that the order to halt the construction is ruled at once in accordance with the expert report,” the joint statement said.