Minister Özhaseki responds to reserve area debate: 'No one can evict those who hold a title deed'

Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Mehmet Özhaseki spoke to Sözcü columnist Deniz Zeyrek regarding the recent legal regulation on urban transformation.

According to what Zeyrek reported in his column, he said the following:

“The phrase ‘new settlement area’ was being used for reserve areas, and because courts interpreted ‘new settlement’ as empty spaces outside the city, they were canceling decisions to declare residential areas as reserve areas on the grounds that ‘this is not a new settlement.’ We simply removed the phrase ‘new settlement area.’ It is not right to look for something behind this.”

If a citizen cannot pay for their home that has increased in value after the transformation, will they be forced to migrate elsewhere?

“No. I am saying this very clearly. If a citizen whose home is being transformed holds a title deed, no one can evict them from there. The citizen will live there until they die. They will also pay their debt. If they cannot pay, their heirs will continue to reside there and make the payments. It is worth remembering that in previous practices, the citizens who were displaced were living on treasury land and did not have title deeds.”