The authority that were previously managed by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality regarding the Bosphorus, will be handed over to the new councils which include the President, officers and members.

According to Nurcan Gökdemir’s report from BirGün Daily, the new regulation on the management of Istanbul's Bosphorus will take the rights and governance authorization from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and hand it over to the councils that will be formed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A new draft bill has been prepared that equals to a strike against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality which made new changes to the Bosphorus Act and to certain other legistations. According to the information that BirGün recieved, the regulation that are taking place in the new draft bill are as such:

NEW RULES BOUND TO THE PALACE

With the new draft bill, the rights and authority of Bosphorus Zoning High Commission, Bosphorus Zoning Management Board and Bosphorus Zoning Directorate which were founded for the planning of settlement and structuration in Bosphorus, coordination, actualization of zoning applications and inspection, will be handed over to the new councils. The duty will be taken from before mentioned commissions and will be undertaken by Bosphorus Administration and Bosphorus Culture and Habitat Protection and Regulation Committees. Bosphorus Administration will be fully authorized to actualize implementations and will be fully in charge of the inspections, it will also be able to interfere with the issues that are not implemented by district municipalities. The Bosphorus Administration and the deputies will be assigned by the President. The Administration and the members of the Bosphorus Culture and Habitat Protection and Regulation Committees that will be established on both sides of Bosphorus, will also be appointed by the President. The rights of Bosphorus Zoning Directorate, which was formally bounded to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, will also be handed over to Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation.

AUTHORIZATION EXPANDED

Istanbul Bosphorus region is also getting expanded with the inclusion of “silhouette transition zones”.  The area which is identified as Bosphorus will also include waterways, filled areas, and waterways in the coastline and behind it.

STRUCTURATION AUTHORIZATION

Structuration of Bosphorus in preview will also be extended with the authorization to establish social, cultural and sport facilities, which was limted to guard post, buffet and a tea shop.

THE STATUS OF FOREST

GREEN ZONES

With the new zoning plan, the right of decision regarding the green areas are taken from the municipality and given to Bosphorus Chairmanship.

BOSPHORUS AREA AND SILHOUETTE TRANSTION ZONE

With the draft bill, regulations are also being made about the long debated Bosphorus area and its silhouette zones. Wider terms are being brought to the areas which were identified with parameters and squaremeters. The coastline, front view, back view and including areas that are effected or not, will be named with a new term as “Areas that are overseen of its effect to the Bosphorus Silhouette”, intead of the term “Bosphorus Silhouette”. The new regulations will be considered not only limited with the Bosphorus, it will also include the new before mentioned areas. However, the right for the identification of these areas will be given to the President while taking the Metropolitan Municipality out of the process.

SUPERVISION IS TAKEN FROM THE MUNICIPALITY

The right of supervision for structures that belong to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, will be given to Bosphorus Chairmanship and to the local district municipalities.

MUNICIPALITY IS EXCLUDED

Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, Istanbul Representative Cevahir Efe Akçelik evaluated the issue to BirGün saying: “Bosphorus Zoning Directorate is excluded from rule of law. From now on, plans, plan changes and revisions regarding the shore, coastline and front view will be made by the Ministry and presented to the Presiden. According to this, Municipal Council is also excluded from the process. Planned alterations were presented to the Municipal Council, but now it will be sent to the Ministry and will be actualized with the approval of the President. With the draft bill ‘good news’ are given to us that current plans of protection will be evaluated again. It has been stated that current planned areas of zoning and other planned areas will be revised in 5 years, according to the current law and to the law numbered 2863. This change arises serious questions regarding the fate of those areas labelled as ‘the coastline and front view’”.   Translated by Nevzat Ahrar