Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyerannounced that they are approaching the end for the solution of the zoning problems of the Balçova Land Victims, which have been on the city agenda for many years. Stating that they are working to bring each parcel owner the opportunity to own at least one house and that they will bring the plans to the agenda in the August-September assembly, Mayor Soyer said, “We will solve the problem of 50 years within this year. " said.
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer He held a meeting with the citizens who came to the fore as Balçova Land Victims in Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Center with wide participation. The meeting was accompanied by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Secretary General Barış Karcı, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Suphi Şahin, Balçova Mayor Fatma Çalkaya and Metropolitan Municipality bureaucrats.
“Unfortunately, the problem has always been swept under the carpet”
The President gave a speech at the opening and at the end of the meeting. Tunç SoyerHe said, “There is a real victimization that has been experienced since the 1970s. The people of this country trust their municipalities and states and buy from the lands they put up for sale. But for 50 years, they have been experiencing a grievance regarding these rights. This is not acceptable. Even before I became the Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, this was an event that bothered me, disturbed my conscience, and did not sit well with me. That's why I expressed it in the election campaign and said that we need to solve it. After I was elected President, I tried to examine and understand the legal process regarding this issue with all its developments. Unfortunately, during these 50 years, the problem has always been swept under the carpet. Nobody wanted to take responsibility for it, nobody really took a step to solve it. It was 'as if' but the problem was always thrown into the crown, and a real solution was never sought. Had it been sought, it would have been solved a thousand times. There is no such thing as leaving this issue unsolved. A property that citizens want to own with the money they have increased from their salaries cannot be delivered for one reason or another; it's not acceptable. We had to find a solution to this issue,” he said.
“It was not possible to do this with the 2011 plans”
Noting that they have been working on the plan that came out in 2011 since the day they took office, President Soyer said, “The plan that came out in 2011 was a table that caused almost 76 percent casualties and did not reveal the possibility of reconciliation. You have a plot of 200 square meters and your right to build on it ends in 20-30 meters. There was no way anything could be done. It is possible to reduce the casualty rate to 109 percent by working on objectionable areas and the 45-decare land of the Treasury. This is not a political issue, this is a technical issue. You may be told 'let's go to the government, the ministry, let them declare a reserve area'. I want to say it with all sincerity. Opinions were required from 40 institutions, we completed 3 of them in the last 37 years. Others will be taken and this will be over. We set out on a journey with the positive opinion of 40 institutions. I will be with you until the end of this story. I will not allow anyone to usurp your rights," he said.
The municipality will build the houses
Explaining that the works on those with and without title deed are continuing, President Soyer continued his speech as follows:
“We will also conduct a study on those who have receipts. Because this is purely political work. We will demand from the deputies of Izmir, the government and the ministry from all of them. There is an urgent need for legislation. This is an issue that requires a crucial solution. Because it is not possible to find a solution in the current legislation. This is a political business. But planning is not a political issue. Here we come to the end. Let me tell you three or five more; we will have brought our plan to parliament in August or September. And within this year, before the end of 2023, we will definitely have taken the first step in manufacturing there. What does manufacturing mean? We will build a residence for each parcel owner. I am not saying 'we will give housing rights'. We will build housing. We will do it with the municipality company, with the public, and we will bring you together with the houses that the municipality will manufacture with 1 percent profit, without leaving you alone with a contractor's bargain.”
“We are doing something no one has done in 50 years”
Stating that even the smallest parcel owner will get a house, Soyer said, “We were worried about this. We're doing something no one else has done in 50 years. We try to eliminate your grievances as much as possible. I want you to know that we put in maximum effort and effort here. I say this without expecting anything, without political calculation. I am only saying this as an Izmirian living in this country and as a person of conscience. I'm here because the victimization you've been through has made our conscience ache. And we have been working on this for 4 years," he said.
The cooperative model
President Soyer, who gave an example of the cooperative model applied after the earthquake and said that they wanted to apply this model here, said, “Almost every citizen has become the contractor of his own house. We do not want to leave you alone with the contractors and bring you to the point of negotiation. This is our choice. You can choose something else, I respect that. A meeting where about a thousand people were here. It has 50 years of experience. Your right has been usurped for 50 years. We would like to share with you the work we have done with great goodwill. Both Balçova Municipality and we are at your disposal. I say it again; We will bring it to the parliament in August and September, we will pass it. We will solve the problem of 50 years within this year. It may be missing, there may be something you don't like, we will do whatever it takes to fix them," he said.
“We are the defenders of the common mind”
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer Balçova Mayor Fatma Çalkaya, who stated that they have started working on the issue since 2019, said, “We are all here for the struggle for rights. There has been a victimization of rights for 50 years and we came together to solve it. A plan made in 2011 has not been implemented and cannot be implemented. The plan needs to be revised. We are advocates of common sense. We wanted to make the example of Halk Konut with our Tunç President here. The point reached; It is a plan where everyone will be given a flat,” he said.
Technical and legal information
Yağmur Han Şenel, Head of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Department of Reconstruction and Urbanization, informed the participants by making a technical presentation. reminded. Koral Özdemir, President of Balçova Land Victims' Voice Association (BAMSES), summarized the process by giving examples from the laws.
What happened in the process
The area known as the Balçova plots covers an area of 1943 square meters as a result of the facility cadastre made in 2.859.124. In the early 1970s, real estate sales were carried out in this area by the Balçova Municipality. In this context, the current cadastral texture was formed as a result of the implementation processes carried out in different years. However, only some of the immovables sold in this process have been registered.
In 2019 and 2020, a commission was established under the coordination of the Provincial Directorate of Environment and Urbanization in order to carry out studies to determine the right ownership and content of Balçova Land Victims who do not have a title deed. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Balçova Municipality, İzmir National Real Estate Department, Balçova Land Registry Directorate, İzmir Cadastre Directorate participated in the said commission.
As a result of the studies carried out by the said commission; The works to reduce the casualty rate of the zoning plan to the legal rate were continued in coordination by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and Balçova Municipality regarding the citizens who own the title deed. Regarding the citizens who do not have a title deed, work can be carried out after the completion of the legal arrangements to grant the right to property.