Court rules on all zoning plans for Kanal İstanbul!

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change had prepared a 7-stage zoning plan for the 'Yenişehir' (New City) area around Kanal İstanbul, which is planned to be built on Istanbul's pristine agricultural and forest lands.

While the 7-stage plan, which covers archaeological and lake areas, was approved in 2021, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality had filed a lawsuit against these plans, which opened fertile lands to residential zoning.

PLANS FOR ALL STAGES ANNULLED

According to a report by Özlem Güvemli from Sözcü, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu announced that as a result of the lawsuit filed by the IMM, the Istanbul 11th Administrative Court has annulled the zoning plans for the first three stages of the Kanal İstanbul Yenişehir Reserve Building Area. The court issued the annulment decision on the grounds that the plans were not in compliance with urban planning principles and standards, planning techniques, or the law. With this decision, the plans for all stages designated for residential construction in Yenişehir have been annulled.

COUNCIL OF STATE TO REVIEW EIA DECISION

The Istanbul 11th Administrative Court made similar findings in three separate annulment rulings regarding the Kanal İstanbul project. The rulings addressed issues such as the ambiguity in how population projections were determined, the non-compliance with regulations regarding the designation of cemetery areas as afforestation zones, and the failure to clearly state the reasons for changes in planning notes. These deficiencies indicated that the plans lacked sufficient technical and objective justification. Additionally, the lawsuit filed by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) against the 'EIA positive' decision for Kanal İstanbul is currently being reviewed by the Council of State.

ERDOĞAN ANNOUNCED IT AS A 'CRAZY PROJECT'

In 2011, AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the Kanal İstanbul project, calling it a 'Crazy Project.' During his tenure as minister, Murat Kurum had stated, 'We will build it.' Today, Murat Kurum, who is the AKP's candidate for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, gave an evasive response to questions regarding the Kanal İstanbul project—which has faced public backlash—by saying, 'We said that nothing that is not on Istanbul's agenda will be on our agenda.'

News Source: 12punto