New legal arrangement to allow construction in forests without master plan

ISTANBUL

Opposition slams the new arrangement, denouncing an attempt by the government to allow for villas to be constructed inside forests nearby Istanbul. DAILY NEWS Photo / Emrah Gürel

A new legal arrangement included in an omnibus bill by the government allowing for buildings to be constructed without master plans in forests “for visitor use,” have been slammed by opposition deputies.

Members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) have denounced the government’s new initiative, arguing the new building rules are an attempt to allow for villas to be constructed inside forests.

According to a report by daily Cumhuriyet, the new arrangement states that no master plan will be needed for constructions that have a base area of 250-squaremeters.

Although, the arrangement says such construction should be used for “administrative” purposes or for “visitors,” opposition deputies claim it is another form of legalizing villa projects that have been undertaken on the outskirts of Istanbul.

CHP deputy Musa Çam, member of the Budget and Planning Commission where the arrangement is set to be debated, claims it was prepared as a cover to allow construction in forested areas in and around Istanbul.

“In Istanbul’s Parkorman Nature Park, master plans of dozens of luxury villas have been prepared and approved. So this arrangement has been added to the draft bill as a cover-up for those master plans and has been done in an unlawful manner. In the same way, it was also added to block a lawsuit opened by the Forest Engineers Chamber against the cancelation of the construction of dozens of luxury villas at the Hecet Rivar Natural Park in Istanbul’s Tuzla [a small town on the Anatolian side of the city],” Çam said.

According to legal arrangements, no master plans will be sought as well for the construction of facilities to prevent fires in the forests.

Other recent regulations on coastal areas and agricultural sites have also been criticized, in particular a new ministry plan for the Datça peninsula, which has been interpreted as an attempt to allow for the construction of villas in protected zones.