Pastures to be opened to construction as part of urban development projects with new bill

ANKARA

The new bill enables the authorities to open pastures to construction by extending existing urban renewal areas or defining new urban development plans.

After opening olive groves to energy investments, the government is now planning to allow construction in pasture land across Turkey according to a new legal arrangement, which will include pasture areas close to cities within urban renewal and development projects.

The new bill enables the authorities to open pastures to construction by extending existing urban renewal areas or defining new urban development plans.

The arrangement has been included in an omnibus bill that the government intends to submit to Parliament before its recess on July 25.

Agriculture Ministry officials said such a decision will be adopted “if no alternative is found.”

However, opposition deputies have slammed the new arrangement, claiming that it will inevitably trigger arbitrary decisions.  

“Now, when a municipality says ‘We have decided to extend the city to the east,’ there could be construction on pastures,” said Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul deputy Müslim Sarı.

The new move comes amid another arrangement to open olive groves to energy investments, also triggering controversy. The arrangement, which is also expected to be included in the omnibus bill, will enable private investors to build plants or extract natural resources in olive groves.