Petition Submitted to Parliament for 17,000 Trees in Bakırköy Psychiatric Hospital

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The attempts that were initiated by the Bakırköy Urban Defence initiative in order to cancel the construction plan of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation that would affect an area of 1 million square meters in Bakırköy, İstanbul continue.

910,000 square meters covered by this construction plan, belongs to the Bakırköy Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital that has been operating since 1927.

30,000 signatures have been collected to rescue the part of land which a property of the hospital, hosts 17,000 trees and can be considered the last green area in the district of Bakırköy.

Chamber of Architects Trakya Region Director Mustafa Fazlıoğlu and a volunteer from the Bakırköy Urban Defence initiative, İlknur Türkoğlu speaking to bianet, has explained the proceedings as follows:

"90 year-old historical texture must be preserved"

Pointing out that the construction plan referred to the area subjected to affected area of the hospital as a property of "public-private partnership", Fazıloğlu said:

"Our greatest concern here is that the 17,000 trees here could be replaced here by concrete".

Fazıloğlu said that they as the Chamber of Architects, Bakırköy Urban Defence, Chamber of Engineers and volunteers from several NGOs stood against the construction plan with all their efforts and submitted a petition with 30,000 signatures to the Parliament.

"We don't want the 90 year-old historical texture of Bakırköy Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital as its has been in our memories, be destroyed. Of course construction and the medical services of the hospital shall be improved but it doesn't seem possible through this construction plan", Fazıloğlu added.

"We go from door to door, explain the construction plan"

İlknur Türkoğlu, a volunteer from the Bakırköy Urban Defence initiative stated that they tried to make their voice heard through events and activities carried out at the scene and the garden of the area and said:

"Residents of Bakırköy, residents of İstanbul should know about this project so that we are not only a handful of people but thousands when dozers enter the area in the coming days. This hospital has 17,000 trees and a history". (PT/DG)