CYPRUS: Turkish Cypriot builders threaten Yellow Vest protest in north

Turkish Cypriot contractors have threatened to emulate the Yellow Vest protests in France to force authorities in the Turkish-held north of Cyprus to lift a moratorium on tall buildings.

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According to Turkish Cypriot media the building contractor’s union gave a deadline until next Tuesday for the authorities to withdraw a decree that limits the height of buildings at 25 metres in the occupied Famagusta villages of Trikomo and Ayios Sergios.

The union warned of “a yellow vest operation” in north Nicosia.

Aysegul Baybar, responsible for Turkish Cypriot interior affairs, issued the decree for Famagusta after the killer floods last week.

 Union boss Cafer Gurcafer said that Turgay Deniz, chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, would be exert pressure on the authorities to abolishing the “monstrosity of a decree”.

Gurcafer said they had carried out research on town planning in Scotland, Malta, Turkey, the government-controlled area of Cyprus, England and France.
He said tall buildings existed all over the world and gave the example of a 34-storey building on Makarios Avenue in the Cyprus government-controlled part of Nicosia.

He said that there was a demand for 10,000 new homes annually in the north.

According to Gurcafer, with a horizontal development 10,000 donums [One donum = 1337.8 m2) would be needed for a demand of 10,000 residences, but if the development was vertical only 300 donums would be needed.

Town planning in the north has become a hot issue after four people died in the floods last week which many blamed on unchecked construction.
Turgay Deniz, said it was a mistake to blame businessmen for the death of four young persons during the floods and added that the “decree” limited investments and caused uncertainty and therefore it was not acceptable to business. 

Contractors reject the Famagusta building decree and want permits for 12-storey buildings to be allowed.