Backlash grows against Coast Guard Port construction in Turgutreis! Ahmet Aras rebels: Poseidon meadows, ecosystem, and biodiversity will be destroyed

Public opposition continues to grow against the planned construction of a Coast Guard Port by the Coast Guard Command in the Bahçelievler neighborhood of Turgutreis, located in the Bodrum district of Muğla province.

The project, which first came to the agenda 5 years ago and was planned to be built within a public beach, had been taken to the judiciary by local residents and various democratic mass organizations.

Although the Council of State has not yet issued a decision regarding the case, a large-scale protest was held in the region after the port's tender was completed and the winning company began construction on the beach.

MUÇEP (Muğla Environment Platform), the Bodrum Citizens' Initiative, the Bodrum Volunteers Association, the Bodrum Environment Platform, TMMOB, and the Bodrum City Council held a press conference in the area where construction has begun. Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Aras and CHP Muğla Deputy Süreyya Öneş Derici also attended the statement.

MUĞLA MAYOR AHMET ARAS: "POSEIDON MEADOWS WILL BE DESTROYED"

Emphasizing that they proposed two alternative locations when the municipality's opinion was asked regarding the plan, Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Aras stated that the project would cause irreversible destruction in the region and said the following:

"It is currently at the appeal stage at the Council of State. How right is it to start construction here before the legal processes are completed? This is not the place for this work to be done. There is an insistence, as I understand it, of 'We started once, let's finish this job.' There is no EIA report here. By citing national security as a justification, even an EIA report is not deemed necessary. This is a very shallow place. You could go 100 meters out and still not reach a depth where a ship could dock. A significant amount of sea filling will be done here. This filling will completely destroy the Poseidon meadows, the ecosystem, and the biodiversity. These beaches will disappear. The balance of nature will be completely disrupted. This is a fish spawning area, an octopus breeding ground, and a habitat for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and Mediterranean monk seals. Whether it is a public investment, national security, or a private investment, these should not be carried out without taking all of these into account."

"THERE IS A READY-MADE MARINA"

Reminding that he is a former member of the armed forces, Aras emphasized that the location of the port should be changed for its own security and used the following expressions:

"Such a port should not be built inside such a public area, even for the security of the port itself. Will the houses and hotels here be closed? Are we not going to let anyone pass through here? This is a tourist area. There are nearly 20 thousand beds. How will you compensate for this? Nearly 100 thousand truckloads of filling material will be transported here. Which road will they come from? If you have such an important national security concern, expropriate a certain part of the marina, or even all of it. There is a ready-made marina there. Why are you insisting on this place? This is my proposal. Let them stop this work and go expropriate the marina."

"REFUGEE CROSSINGS WILL ALSO DECREASE"

Touching upon the refugee issue, Aras noted the following:

"The events in Syria are over now. Crossings from here will also decrease. We know why this is being done. This is more of an issue regarding migrants. This is not the way to sit down and talk about these things, to solve them through diplomacy, or to establish regional peace. Regional peace is established by sitting down and talking. We specifically request from the President that this construction be stopped and re-evaluated."

Derici: "The concerns of the people of Bodrum are at least as important as national security"

"BUILDING SUCH A MILITARY STRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY IS A COMPLETE CONTRADICTION"

Muğla Bar Association Representative Onursal Özbek recalled the decisions taken after the 2016 coup attempt and used the following expressions:

"We have an obligation to protect marine ecology. This structure is called a Coast Guard port. The Coast Guard Command is a law enforcement agency. It is not a navy, nor is it affiliated with the General Staff. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Interior. How much the Coast Guard needs a project of this scale is a separate question mark. There is construction currently underway. Since the action has legally started, the time periods start again. Every citizen who will be affected by this has the right to file a lawsuit. They can file a lawsuit within 60 days and request a stay of execution. This is the legal action to be taken right now. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said after the coup attempt, 'All military facilities will be moved out of cities for security reasons.' We see the same thing as a contradiction here. If the President has such a principle, building such a military structure in the middle of the city is a complete contradiction. It makes both the facility and the public's safety a clear target."

TMMOB Bodrum Representative Mustafa Erdoğan and Bodrum City Council representative Gamze Türk read the joint press statement on behalf of the institutions and organizations.

Erdoğan also provided information about the technical specifications of the project and said the following:

In the planning area, a 740-meter main breakwater, a 330-meter secondary breakwater, and land-side backfill were designed within an area of approximately 141 decares for the project; the floor area ratio (Emsal) and floor height were not specified in the area. The 1/5000 scale Master Development Plan and 1/1000 scale Implementation Development Plan for the Turgutreis Neighborhood Coast Guard Port were approved by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, and the tender process was completed. During the plan approval process, the opinion of the Bodrum Municipality was requested, and the Bodrum Municipality stated in its institutional opinion that the location of the project was wrong; that the coastal road and accommodation facilities would be affected by this, and that this project would negatively affect the city silhouette and public use of the coast. Although the main justification shown for the construction of this facility is national security and overriding public interest, it is essential to draw attention to some issues. Is it right to build this facility in a tourism center like Turgutreis, where construction, density, and population are high? Has the density of coastal structures in the area where the facility is intended to be built been taken into account? Has the existing marina, fishing shelter, public swimming and sunbathing piers, sandy areas, and heavy maritime traffic in the area been considered? Furthermore, have the residences, tourism facilities, dense construction, and resident population on land been taken into account?"

Bodrum City Council representative Gamze Türk listed their demands and spoke as follows:

"We are against the location of the Coast Guard port project planned to be built in front of the Turgutreis Coast Guard building! The Turgutreis Coast Guard Port project area is planned in the center of Turgutreis city life, in a very busy tourist area. This location contains potential threats both for the citizens and for the safety of the planned facility. By dredging the shallow sea area where the port project is located, the seabed will be deepened, and this practice will destroy marine life in an irreparable way. Considering the effects this project will have on marine and land ecology, necessary steps must be taken to urgently change the location of the project."