“All Taksim Projects Cancelled Including Barracks”

Tayfun Kahraman, one of the spokespeople of Taksim Solidarity and chairman of Chamber of City Planners Istanbul Branch, confirmed the information that Istanbul 1st Administration Court cancelled the reconstruction plans of Topçu Barrack on June 6. 

The verdict is very important even though the detailed verdict is not out yet, he added. 

“But generally, it will only be obvious when the court will finalize its decision on the project after the appeals process.” 

Facts revealed 

According to an article by Kadir Kökten from Zaman newspaper, Istanbul 1st Administration Court cancelled the plans on the “pedestrianization of Taksim Square on June 6. 

“The cancel order was also cited in another verdict by Istanbul 6th Administration Court where Culture and Tourism Ministry objected on the cancellation of Topçu Barracks reconstruction projects. 

“That verdict cited that the project allowing the barracks to be reconstructed was already cancelled by Istanbul 1st Administration Court on June 6. 

“The first verdict concerned all construction efforts in Taksim Square including pedestrianization, vehicle tunnels, Gezi Park and Topçu Barracks.”

Importance of verdict 

Tayfun Kahraman continued that they knew about the verdict but declined to share it with public before the release of detailed verdict. “We still haven’t seen the verdict, as the court has yet to issue the posting,” he said. “It is important how the verdict was reached and how it was grounded.” 

“We have an expert report on our favor. We have announced this before. The report found both vehicle tunnels and reconstruction of Topçu Barracks unfeasible according to the principals if urbanism and city planning.

“We have to see whether the verdict was reached according to this report or another reasoning.

“However, we will only see the ultimate decision on the whole project after the appeals process. Then we can clearly say that the court did not allow the project.”

Public interest!

Kahraman commented on the fact that one of the tunnel projects advanced: 

“There is a huge construction of a tunnel. It is almost done. Probably, as it is always done, they are going to accuse those who complained against these projects of “causing waste of public funds.

“But we should also ask this question: Who caused the waste of public funds? Is it those who started a project before the end of court process or is it those professional chambers that prosecuted to show the wrongdoing of the project according to city planning and urbanization principles? The public conscious must consider this.”

Reminding PM Erdoğan’s words that “he would respect court’s decision even if it cancelled the project”, Kahraman said the following: “But we can’t talk about this matter only around Gezi Park. It is blocking the process.” (YY/BM)