‘Mayor has broken environment law’
İSKELE Mayor Hasan Sadıkoğlu was censured in an Ombudsman’s report this week that revealed his approval of large-scale construction permits at Long Beach before environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports were completed.
Ombudsman Emine Dizdarlı said that the mayor had “broken environment and good governance laws” and that a parliamentary committee would meet to decide the outcome.
“I regret that the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) did not realise such large-scale projects for 3,021 residences and 132 shops had begun,” she said in her report.
“Construction companies seem to see the EIA as a mere formality.”
Commenting on the Ombudsman’s report Doğuç Veysioğlu, of the Environmental Engineers Chamber, told Cyprus Today on Thursday that his organisation had petitioned the government “for years” to be given authority over the EIA procedure.
“The developer pays for the [EIA] report and the EPD does not have the capacity for inspections,” he said.
Former chamber head and environmental engineer for the draft EIA reports in question, Yasemin Çobanoğlu, said: “Companies pay us 10,000TL to 15,000TL for these reports.They face fines of 12,000TL, which is nothing to a large construction company.
“The EPD told us they cannot inspect until the site is completed. Pre-approval was obtained from 11 government departments. Any revisions require more approvals, not enough checks are conducted and municipalities themselves lack expertise.
“The private sector has developed exponentially and the government has lagged behind.”
The Ombudsman report cited construction permits handed out to Noyanlar Development Ltd’s Royal Sun, site 17, on September 25, 2014; Royal Life Residence, site 18, on February 22, 2018; Gökhan Noyan & Construction Ltd’s Park Royal Residence, site 19, on February 9, 2018; and Dumika Construction Ltd’s Caesar Resort on March 3, 2017.
Construction work had been halted for a few months but EIA reports were now complete and approved for sites 17, 18 and 19.
The report also noted that the Caesar Resort site was in progress and an EIA process was under discussion for 1,100 apartments and 20 shops.
Mayor Sadıkoğlu previously said that he had sanctioned construction work to “ease bureaucracy” but was unavailable for comment this week.
Ms Çobanoğlu added: “Dumika Construction began second and third stage projects which were later merged into a site of over 200 units requiring a more stringent EIA and are [now] seeking approval.”
The area’s building boom was also put back in the spotlight after heavy rain in İskele this week saw Boğaztepe properties flooded.
Kıyı Restaurant manager Gökhan Gök blamed the floods on the construction expansion and the attempted diversion of a riverbed by the municipality.
The Ombudsman report emerged just two weeks before the announcement of the confirmed zoning regulations for the region, sparked by a complaint in March 2019 byAtalay Çolak, a resident at the neighbouring Doktarlar Sitesi, over the height of boundary walls and road widths.
Mr Atalay’s complaint that İskele Municipality dismissed the fact that walls adjoining the sites and his property were illegally over 1.8 metres high and that roads were more than 60 feet wide was upheld.