Çaycuma Mayor Bülent Kantarcı, in the last part of his public comments on the Regional Plan prepared by BAKKA, requested that the Filyos Logistics Center, which is planned on a first-class agricultural area, be abandoned, and that Karabük Logistics Center, which is also in the same plan, should be the common logistics base of the region. .
Mayor Bülent Kantarcı continued to express his views on the 202-2028 Regional Plan prepared by the Western Black Sea Development Agency. In the last part of Kantarcı's explanations, "It is clearly seen that the connection between the districts is extremely disconnected in the transportation map and the drawings and sketches showing the tourism regions, industry, rural and urban development centers, and the instruments to strengthen the connections due to different development perspectives were not considered during the planning period." said.
A RAIL SYSTEM TO PROVIDE FAST TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN ZONGULDAK AND SALTUKOVA AIRPORT MUST BE ESTABLISHED
Stating that one of the main reasons for the cultural disconnection that has existed in the region since history is the inability to build roads that will provide healthy and fast transportation between the districts due to the geographical conditions, Kantarcı said, “In order to overcome this situation, which weakens the urban reflex and weakens the interaction between the districts and the sense of acting together, fast transportation is needed in the whole region. systems must be established. At the same time, this system, which will improve the national and international connections of the region, will also increase the unfolding of the existing potential and increase the communication between our citizens. For this reason, a rail system line that will provide fast transportation between Zonguldak and Saltukova Airport should be established, and this line should be extended to Ereğli in the west and Bartın in the east in its second phase. said.
IT SHOULD BE INVESTED IN THE RINGWAY INVESTMENT PROGRAM WHICH IS WORKING INTO THE ZONING PLAN OF ÇAYCUMA MUNICIPALITY
Saying that Çaycuma's vision for the region is a focal point in all of the developed strategies, Kantarcı made his statements, “The developments show that the Çaycuma-centered urban focus will grow rapidly. In the spatial development scenario in the 2024-2028 TR 81 provinces plan, Çaycuma has been planned as a rural focus as well as an urban focus, and has been counted among the potential districts in the fields of tourism, industry and agriculture. This shows that the district will continue to grow in any case. The solution of the transportation problems to be experienced in the future must be included in the ring road investment program, which is included in the Development Plan of the Çaycuma Municipality, in order to ensure the healthy development of the district center. The ring road will also form the connection of the historical road passing through Güzelyaka, Güdüllü and Sapça to provide alternative transportation to the city center of Zonguldak.” he continued.
FILYOS LOGISTICS CENTER MUST BE AVOIDED
Stating that in the regional plan, 2 logistics centers of approximately the same size and having the same characteristics were proposed in both Karabük and Zonguldak within the same planning period, Kantarcı said, “From the statements made to indicate the need, it is understood that both centers are targeting the markets in Russia and the Turkic republics in the north. It is known that the works of Karabük Logistics Center have been on the agenda since 1993 within the scope of the Europe-Caucasus-Asia Transport Corridor (TRAnsport Corridor Europe Caucuses Asia-TRACECA) project. In the explanatory notes made within the plan, it is written that there are five main projects in progress within this framework. These projects are; Gerede-Merzifon, Refahiye-Erzurum Gürbulak highway improvements are listed as Mersin Container Port, Filyos Port, Irmak-Karabük-Zonguldak Line Signaling. In the meantime, some of these investments have been implemented. Zonguldak Filyos Logistics Center is considered in the area determined as a free zone in the current plans. The planning area is first class agricultural land. A very serious agricultural production is still carried out on it. The preservation of this characteristic is also important in terms of the development of Çaycuma's "agricultural focus" and ensuring the food security of the region. For this reason, Filyos Logistics Center, which appears as one of the important investments in the plan and is included as a project proposal in the regional plan, should be abandoned and Karabük Logistics Center should be designed as the common logistics base of the region.” said.
NEW PROJECTS MUST BE DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE QUALIFIED AND FAST TRANSPORTATION IN AIR AND RAILWAYS
Stating that the investments in the natural gas, port and industrial zone in the Filyos Valley Project continue, Kantarcı said, “These investments will enable Zonguldak Airport to become more active in domestic and international lines, to expand it so that large cargo planes can land, to rehabilitate the Zonguldak-Ankara railway, to rehabilitate the highway. necessitates the improvement of transportation axes. As stated in the plan, it is necessary to increase the integration of the formed industrial areas with the main transportation axes and alternative transportation systems, to provide new connections and to develop the existing ones. Thus, the competitiveness of the enterprises in the region will be increased by providing faster, easier and cheaper transfer of raw materials and final products. In this context, a new airport with a modern infrastructure should be planned on the Nebioğlu plateau, where all kinds of aircraft can land, without any natural obstacles. Zonguldak Ankara railway should be reconsidered so that double-track and electric high-speed trains can operate.” said.
HEAVY INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENTS SHOULD BE PLANNED ON THE CENTRAL ANATOLIAN PLATE BEHIND THE KÜRE MOUNTAINS
Stating that the effects of climate change will be felt much more in the upcoming period, as foreseen in the plan, Kantarcı said, “Local production and nutrition will gain importance, while production and consumption of meat products will decrease, reverse migration from the city to the countryside will begin. Within the scope of adaptation to climate change, it is expected that rain harvesting, efficient water use, expansion of agricultural production with renewable energy, organic agriculture gaining more importance, and soilless and modern agricultural practices will increase. All kinds of scenarios developed for the region show that the protection of existing agricultural lands is of vital importance. For this reason: The Filyos Valley Project should be restored to its original state, which was built by DSI in the 1980s in order to protect agricultural lands from flash floods and floods. Heavy industry facilities should be planned in areas of the Central Anatolian plateau behind the Küre Mountains that are not suitable for agriculture.” he finished.