The meeting held in Uzumlu on Monday evening was well attended and the tea house was full with a mixture of ex pats, English & German, and Turkish people.

It transpired that it has not gone through the full public consultation & planning process yet and there was a representative from the Fethiye Bureau of Architects who are responsible for the environmental issues and he had not had it on his desk as of yet.  He was in support of the action to stop it and offered some help financially towards the running costs of a committee. It has been said by some that the Architects bureau does not need to be consulted as this is underground/ mining matters and goes direct to the area governor in this case the Valigi in Mugla.  Well the first petition is already on its way there.

The next step is to get the committee organised and then start the job of contacting all departments that they think might be able to help stop it. If anyone has friends or contacts with Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth etc let them know and see if they can help.

It is a "mini" cement factory, 25mt chimney, with the capacity to process 500 tons per day but the owner has said they will only be processing 200 tons per day. The reason given by them for building it was it would save them a few YTL per bag. It could affect an area of up to 40 km with dust and pollution.

The locals who first agreed the plans in Koru Koy are the only people to have been canvassed and have benefited by a new road and the promise of jobs. They are now being given the full facts and are absorbing the implications of the health hazards and air pollution issues.

Incikoy and Uzumlu residents were not consulted but they will be directly affected. The residents of Incirikoy now fully support the plans to get this halted and the locals of Arpecik / Nif are also being informed.

A petition is still available and over 700 signatures have been collected so far but there are still lots of people who are not aware of what is happening, so if you know anyone affected in the general area please let them know.

The general feeling was that it still is stoppable with the support of all the people who live in the affected area and it was planned to continue talking to the villagers so that they understand how important it is that it does not go ahead.

Some local builders were at the meeting as it will affect the price of land and houses if it goes ahead but more support is required.
 
On Weds 15th Aug about 12 people met with Cahit Engin, leader of the local chamber of architects in his office.

A copy of the factory plans has been obtained from the Internet and shared with those who can use it.

A recent copy of the Radikal newspaper apparently printed an article in its economy section stating Turkey is already producing more cement than it needs.

Full permissions have not yet been obtained and it appears the company are using various loopholes to get their permissions through.

The chamber of architects together with the combined chambers of relevant engineers, geologists, mining engineers, environmental engineers, building engineers will be working together on our behalf.

Contact was made with one of the owners of the factory and he was informed about the growing protests and was invited to come and explain matters to a small group of representatives, we await a date and time from him.

The dossier from a successful case that stopped a factory in the Bursa area is being forwarded to us. A suitable lawyer with relevant experience is being found.

Copies of the petitions with relevant pictures are being/have been forwarded to British and German Embassies. It will also will be presented to as many other authorities as appear appropriate, for example the environment agency in Koycegiz.

The Second Secretary for Energy and Environment at the British Embassy has been contacted, the petition will go to him and he will assist in helping us to contact the right Turkish departments and will be able to use our information as a specimen example in his work with informing Turkish authorities about coming into line with EU requirements and regulations.

There are plans to inform the Fethiye council leader about the growing protest and also to visit Arpecik/Nif villagers and Koru Koy for more support.  Also visits will be made to the local waterworks, forestry and the agricultural office.

If Dalaman can shut down the paper factory on health grounds we should be able to stop this cement factory being built and even better perhaps close the quarry!

The working committee expects to meet again next Monday.
 
We need as many signatures as we can get and you can add yours via this link       http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Uzumlu/

This attempt to industrialise a quite residential agricultural area could be the thin end of a wedge.

If you are in Uzumlu or surrounding areas please contact me if you wish to sign the petition in person and show your support.

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Many Thanks on behalf of the committee
Fiona Robson