Court says no to disputed report on 5,560 Istanbul houses

An annulment decision by the Council of State has revealed that a large urbanization decision about a central Istanbul neighborhood of 5,560 houses was made upon the inspection of only 14 buildings and almost no scientific examination.

A Cabinet decision last year affirmed that Tozkoparan, a neighborhood amid rising construction projects, was a “risk zone,” which paved way for the demolition of houses there within the scope of an earthquake measures law.

However, the Tozkoparan Association, the residents’ civil organization, carried the case to the Council of State, the country’s highest court.

The court canceled the Cabinet decision, ruling that the related report was based on “visual inspections, not scientific,” quoting the European Convention of Human Rights on housing rights.

The report covered only 14 houses, the court also highlighted, calling for a further and proper report.

It also said the report had failed to mention any destruction in buildings, particularly after the large Aug. 17, 1999, earthquake.

Ömer Kiriş, who speaks for the association, said in a press meeting that the report covered five-story state-made buildings which sit on gardens, but it neglected some 1,200 30-year-old, 13-story houses that are located on a stream bed. “This is nothing but an effort to transform the [potential] effects of an earthquake for the purposes of land speculation,” he said.

The shady report came at a time when another Istanbul municipality has made a crucial decision on Okmeydanı, a hotspot of political protests in the city.

Beyoğlu Municipality Council members have declared a large area in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı an earthquake...