Land earmarked for IMM nursery allocated to Treasury: Municipality and Ministry join forces...

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) lands in the Pendik district have been allocated to the Treasury.

IMM'S LANDS FRAGMENTED

According to a report by İsmail Arı from BirGün; first, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change declared a 235-hectare area—the size of 329 football fields—in the Ertuğrulgazi, Yayalar, and Sülüntepe neighborhoods of Pendik as a reserve area.

Subsequently, the AKP-run Pendik Municipality carried out zoning (parceling) operations for this massive area declared as a reserve. However, through the district municipality's zoning application, the IMM's large plots of land were fragmented and transferred to the Treasury.

LAND INTENDED FOR NURSERY TRANSFERRED TO TREASURY

The IMM Department of Zoning and Urbanization objected to the AKP-run Pendik Municipality's zoning application. In its objection, the IMM stated that a 31,760-square-meter plot of land was divided into pieces, and smaller plots from other regions were given to the IMM in return. The IMM noted that it had planned to use the 31,760-square-meter plot, which was taken by being divided into pieces, for urban transformation projects, but that this was prevented by the zoning process, resulting in public loss.

Similarly, plots of land belonging to the IMM measuring 26,782 and 5,050 square meters were also divided into pieces; parts were taken from the Metropolitan Municipality, and small plots were given from distant locations. Thus, the IMM was prevented from implementing housing projects for urban transformation on these lands as well.

Pendik Municipality also allocated a 3,324-square-meter plot, where the IMM was set to begin construction of a nursery as part of its "150 Nurseries for 150 Neighborhoods Project," to the Treasury. Emphasizing that the land was taken from them despite having obtained a building permit for the nursery, the IMM administration stated that all these actions, which caused public loss, were contrary to regulations.

"MANY UNJUST ACTIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN"

The plots taken from the IMM also caused controversy during the November meeting of the Pendik Municipal Council. Nerze Özyurtlu, a CHP member of the IMM and Pendik Municipal Council, said in her speech:

"In 2022, a zoning plan was created by the Ministry for the area declared a reserve in Pendik, which is the 10th largest district in Turkey with a population of approximately 750,000, within the Metropolitan Municipality of a city of 16 million. Many unjust actions have been taken, from fragmenting parcels entirely owned by the IMM and assigning shares in other zoning blocks, to allocating the area covering the children's activity center (nursery) project, which is currently under construction with a building permit, to the Treasury.

We remind you that we will stand by projects that operate with control mechanisms, promote orderly urbanization, prioritize public interest rather than rent-seeking, and take a stance in favor of nature. We demand an end to the rent-based urbanization approach that has been pursued to date, that the voice of the local people be heard, and that objections be evaluated fairly."