Planning Law İn Istanbul

Can any one help with general regulations on residential planning permission in Istanbul. If you wish to put an additional room on a roof terrace, would it be necessary to apply for planning permission to do so? In the UK there are areas where planning permission has to be sought and where (in conservation areas) it is very difficult to obtain. Does something like this exist in Istanbul? How would a person know if planning permission is required? Who would deal with the application? Many thanks
Toby

Greetings Toby,

According to the "Zoning by-law of Istanbul", the substantial modifications and repairs are subject to construction permission.

A repair or modification which is capable to modify the building's status as regards both the statics and the nature as well as the number of the flats and the use of premises and the frontage view is substantial.

.IMHO, an additional room on the roof terrace may be deemed to be a substantial modification, and therefore a construction permission for such a modification should be acquired.The relevant authority is the municipality of the area where the building is located.

Thanks Jus! I have heard that there are sometimes some difficulties with beauracracy in Istanbul, either because they are inefficient, or because they require some kind of additional payment for things to get done. I was told of an instance somewhere in Turkey where the municipal surveyor required all the doors to be remade on a buildings because they failed to comply with size regulations or alternatively the builder could pay the surveyor some money and the matter could be a forgotten!! Are these kinds of difficulties a factor in obtaining legitimate planning consent in Istanbul???

This beauracracy and formalities issue is a never-ending problem of the developing countries, including Turkiye.So the more such vain formalities exist the more corruption cases arise.However, we cannot generalize the whole system as being involved in undue treatments or illegal actions nor we can have strict confidence on those who are honest and incorrupt are potential felonies through reproaching them depending on individual cases.

Yet one of our ex-prime ministers had stated once as a response to a question related to the public servants' low salaries and poor living conditions, as " my official is smart!", we now want to make ourselves believe in their honesty and see them challange the said statement!!