MHP MP secures 9 decares of Atatürk City Forest opened to the public by IMM: '3,240 Euros rent to be paid for 4 years'

The General Directorate of Foundations held a tender on August 31, 2023, to lease the 9-decare plot of land in Sarıyer.

The result of the tender for the land, which is located at the intersection of Hacıosman Bayırı and Tarabya Bayırı Street and is part of the Atatürk City Forest opened to public use by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in 2020, was not announced to the public even months later.

"3 THOUSAND 240 EUROS RENT TO BE PAID FOR 4 YEARS"

According to the report by İsmail Arı from BirGün; although citizens collected thousands of signatures and held press statements to prevent the land from being opened to development, it turned out that a member of parliament won the tender for the land, which was zoned as a "Tourism zone" in the development plans. The tender for the land was won by the Nişantaşı Education Foundation (NEV), which was founded by MHP Mersin MP Levent Uysal and is also the founding foundation of Istanbul Nişantaşı University.

According to the contract signed on October 11, 2023, the land was handed over to the foundation of MHP MP Uysal for 21 years. 

It was stated that the foundation will pay 3 thousand 240 euros per month for four years, and 334 thousand 800 euros from the fifth year onwards.

It was also stated that the rent will be increased by 2.5 percent every month. The ownership of the land appears to be under the "Sultan Bayezid Han-ı Sani Bin Mehmed Han-ı Sani Foundation." The land, which the General Directorate of Foundations leased out through a tender, remains in "Tourism facility areas" according to the development plans dated July 29, 2003, which are still in effect.

'WE WILL DEFEND THE FOREST'

Ceylan Toraman, a spokesperson for the Atatürk City Forest Volunteers and the Northern Forests Defense, reacted to the tender in a statement, saying, "Development in the area in question threatens the lives of all living creatures in the forest. The forest is a whole; the point intended to be destroyed is where the stream feeding the ponds passes. The balance of the entire ecological relationship will be disrupted in this case. We do not see our forest as the backyard of a hotel. We will continue to defend our forest, which all Istanbulites benefit from, together with all Istanbulites," she said.