Council of State grants stay of execution for complex plans in Atatürk Forest Farm

ANKARA

The construction of a new Prime Ministry complex in Atatürk Forest Farm was also halted.

The Council of State has ruled for a stay of execution halting a huge new complex being built in Ankara’s Atatürk Forest Farm, the head of the Chamber of Architects’ Ankara branch has announced.

The decision followed a complaint filed by five professional chambers: The Chamber of Architects, the Chamber of Landscape Architects, the Chamber of Urban Planners, the Chamber of Environmental Engineers and the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers of Turkey.

The Council of State announced the stay of execution until all necessary expert reports are delivered, Tezcan Karakuş Candan said.

The project includes the construction of a new Parliament Congress and Cultural Center, a wedding salon, an archive center, and a sports complex in the area of an old beer factory.

Candan has welcomed the decision, but added that there was also another court decision for a stay of execution in a separate case in which they demanded the registration of a number buildings in the planned construction area that were missed originally. With the two decisions, there should be no construction in the historical forest area, she added, saying that some of the unregistered buildings had already been demolished.

“It’s unfortunate for deputies from the AKP [Justice and Development Party] who want to build a congress center and wedding salon,” she said, adding that they would now “be unable to organize wedding ceremonies and have fun.”

The construction of a new Prime Ministry complex in Atatürk Forest Farm was also halted on March 4, after a court ruled to uphold the protected status of the site.