TMMOB sues to annul Bodrum Ortakent zoning plans

The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) has filed a lawsuit to halt and annul new zoning plans for the Ortakent neighborhood in Bodrum, Muğla. The legal action targets environmental and protection-oriented master plans, including 1/100,000 scale environmental plans and 1/5,000 and 1/1,000 scale protection-purpose implementation plans approved by a Presidential decision published in the Official Gazette on August 9, 2026.

TMMOB stated that previous lawsuits regarding similar plans in 2020 and 2021 resulted in the Council of State's 6th Chamber ruling in favor of cancellation. The court had previously determined that opening these areas to settlement would cause significant environmental damage to the surrounding residential zones.

The union argues that despite these finalized court decisions, the Privatization Administration and the Presidency have persisted in approving similar plans. TMMOB contests the classification of these undeveloped and protected areas as “idle” (atıl), asserting that labeling essential natural spaces as idle to facilitate construction does not serve the public interest.