Antalya hotel illegally constructed despite demolition decree

Dinçer Gökçe – ANTALYA

The construction of a five-story hotel in the Mediterranean province of Antalya has been completed in an area where only two-story buildings were permitted, despite a municipality decree suggesting the demolition of the illegally-constructed three extra stories, daily Hürriyet has reported.

The Meis Hotel’s construction on a 1,080-square-meter area in the Çukurbağ peninsula in Kaş, a district in Antalya, has been completed in spite of a demolition decree from the Kaş District Municipality, which said it had “no equipment” to demolish the additional three stories, which were constructed illegally.

“I took this [hotel’s] construction over about five months ago. The construction was sealed off four days ago. So, I came to the district governor’s office to figure out a way to solve this. I was told to turn this construction into what it was before. They told me that otherwise they would not issue a permit for anything,” said Yalçın Çiftçi, the owner of the hotel under construction.

In late 2014, a Çukurbağ resident filed a complaint with the Prime Ministry Communication Center (BİMER), stating the construction of the Meis Hotel was illegal and that the Kaş Municipality knew about the incident. 

The municipality sealed off the construction site on Jan. 7 after it was observed on the 1,080-square-meter area. Later during the same month the municipal police prepared a report after they saw the illegal construction had continued and the seal had been broken.

In mid-March, the municipal council issued a decree to demolish the three extra stories of the hotel, stating that the extra stories were being illegally constructed. Later in March, the Antalya Natural Assets Protection Board issued a decree stating the Kaş Municipality “should do whatever it takes” to stop the construction incompatible with the construction code.

The Antalya Environment and Urbanization Directorate filed a criminal complaint with the Kaş Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against the area’s land owner, identified only by the initials A.T., into the illegal construction.

The Kaş Municipality in May, however, said a decree had been issued for demolition, adding it had “no equipment” for the action stated in the decree. In late May, four experts from the Environment and Urbanization Directorate prepared a report on the illegal construction, stating in the report that the construction was illegal and a criminal complaint was filed against those who were behind the construction.

On Jan. 18, Kaş District Gov. Selami Kapankaya said in a written statement addressing the Kaş Municipality that the illegal construction was somehow completed and the municipality should not issue a permit of use for illegally constructed buildings, urging the municipality that construction sites with demolition decrees should be demolished in a reasonable period of time.