Govt ‘has created property ‘chaos’ in the eastern area’

THE Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) has accused the government of creating “chaos” over plans to develop the GazimağusaYeniboğaziçi-İskele region in the east of the TRNC, which have become mired in legal disputes.

The zoning plan was finalised in 2019 under then-Interior Minister Ayşegül Baybars of the People’s Party and had been due to come into effect on January 1, 2020, in place of an interim “decree”, but Ersin Tatar, then the Prime Minister and leader of the National Unity Party, refused to put his signature to the plan and have it published in the Official Gazette.

In December 2021 then-Prime Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu signed a revised version of the zoning plan, which was published in the Official Gazette, and which it was said would lead to a new “construction boom” in the TRNC.

The Union of the Chambers of Cyprus Turkish Engineers and Architects (KTMMOB) blocked its implementation after obtaining a court injunction, with the previous zoning decree remaining in place.

Last week there was a further twist to the saga when the government slipped out a late night announcement via the Official Gazette on September 19 that it had lifted the decree, leading to property developers rushing to municipalities and government departments the next day to apply for planning permission.

But town planners obtained a new injunction on the same day, which put all applications on hold until a fresh court decision.

Commenting on the matter, the KTTO said in a statement that zoning activities between Gazimağusa and İskele have been turned into a “new mess” and that the region’s development has been “suppressed in a planned manner” and turned into an “inextricable” situation through court decisions.

The KTTO called on Prime Minister Ünal Üstel to “gather all relevant parties around a table and seek ways to reach an agreement” adding that “businesspeople and the local community working in this field are incapable of doing business or benefitting from their [land and property]”.

Pointing out that one of the main developing fields of North Cyprus is the real estate sector, the statement said that building and marketing homes to people from different parts of the world who want to come and live in North Cyprus or using them for tourism purposes will support the economic development of the country.

The statement continued: “Unfortunately, these initiatives cannot be made due to the chaos caused by the administration, and investors and foreigners who buy housing are almost under threat.

“The zoning plan, to which our Chamber has tried to contribute on various occasions, has been in progress for four years in the region known as the ‘Gazimağusa-Yenibogaziçi-İskele Development Zone’, but could not be finalised.

“The region’s planned development was suppressed by mandates that effectively banned zoning activities . . . The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, where every action or decision goes to court, has been transformed into a strange country where no public implementation or planning can be made.

“It is obvious that we cannot move forward without getting rid of this environment.”

The Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Shopkeepers and Artisans (KTEZO) said in a statement that “at five minutes to midnight the Gazimağusa-Yeniboğaziçi-İskele region was completely opened for development” following the temporary lifting of restrictions.

The KTEZO questioned how the next morning queues of people with prepared files of paperwork formed in front of the municipalities’ zoning departments.

“Our chamber will continue to stand up against all types of greed and will be on the side of public interests, planning and the future,” the KTEZO added.

Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said in a statement that his aim in lifting the zoning decree had been to “tackle problems and find solutions while protecting the interests of society” and to support the Gazimağusa-Yeniboğaziçi-İskele economy.

“The main thing for us is to provide swift solutions to existing problems without creating new grievances,” he said.

“Knowing that every drawnout and unresolved problem creates more aggrieved people, we put forth the political will to solve the problems with a sense of responsibility.

“Instead of complicating existing problems, I invite all parties to act with the same sense of responsibility and to contribute to the solution without creating new aggrieved parties.”