* Photos: Sözcü newspaper
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The Ministry of Environment and Urbanization has zoned an agricultural land of 111 thousand square meters for construction in Beykoz district in İstanbul and declared the land a "commercial area."
While there are 1,443 trees on the land according to a survey report, commercial units such as a two-storey shopping mall, hotel and shopping venue can now be built on 61 thousand square meters of the land.
The land in question is located in the middle of the area where there were plans to construct 553 villas.
'Agricultural character will be retained'
As reported by Özlem Güvemli from daily Sözcü, after it was decided that "there was no need for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)," the project foreseeing the construction of 553 villas was dropped. The parcel of land in the middle of the project area has been designated as a "land whose agricultural character is to be preserved."
According to the report foreseeing changes in the plan of the parcel, decisions of public good were taken by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and the Presidency of Religious Affairs so that the parcel could be used for purposes other than agriculture. These decisions were then sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
In a decision dated 
September 18, 2019, the Ministry permitted the parcel's use for purposes other than agriculture.
Education, worship and park
The parcel of land also has the status of "a sustainable protection and controlled use area." The zoning plan prepared for the parcel foresees that 55 percent of the parcel (61 thousand square meters) will be used for commercial purposes and the remaining 45 percent will be used for purposes of education, worship, park and road.
According to the plan, a primary school will be constructed on 7 thousand square meters, a mosque on 3 thousand square meters, a park on 18 thousand 645 square meters, a passive green area on 3 thousand square meters and a road on 17 thousand 814 square meters of the parcel.
According to the "Tree Survey Report" prepared as part of the plan change, there are 1,443 trees of 21 different species in the parcel.
Villa project was dropped
In July 2018, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization started an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for a 553-villa project in the North Kirazlı and South Kirazlı private forests in Beykoz district. The project was to be built on four separate parcels of land.
The villas would be constructed on three different parcels in the private forest land while 20 hotels and 13 sports facilities were to be built on the parcel no. 267 (agricultural land) of 111 thousand square meters.
When it was decided in November 2018 that "there was no need for EIA", the parcel no. 267 was taken out of the project and the decision to build sports facilities and hotels was abandoned. The Ministry has now drafted a new plan for the 111,000-square meter agricultural land. (TP/SD)
