Esentepe Developments

1. Where Esentepe sits in the planning system

• Esentepe is on the north coast, ~20km east of Girne, popular for resort and holiday complexes and sold as one of the “prime coastal” investment belts.

• Administratively it’s under Çatalköy–Esentepe Belediyesi, in the Girne district.

  
  

So from a planning point of view you’re mainly dealing with:

• Şehir Planlama Dairesi (Town Planning Department) – plans, zoning, planning approvals.

• Çatalköy–Esentepe Belediyesi + Girne District Office – building permits and on-the-ground enforcement.

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2. What formal plans actually cover Esentepe today?

2.1 Girne 2nd Region “Emirname” – this is the backbone

The official Girne 2. Bölge Emirnamesi (2nd Region Planning Order) is the main planning instrument for much of the Esentepe area east of Alagadi.

• The order’s zoning table explicitly lists “ESENTEPE 1” and “ESENTEPE 2” as sub-areas with their own codes (e.g. XI/4.E2, XII/9.E2, etc.).

• An emirname is a transitional planning order under the 55/1989 Planning Law: it sets densities, heights, uses and setbacks but is supposed to be replaced eventually by a full imar plan.

In practice that means:

• The core Esentepe coastal strip and much of the hillside are regulated by this emirname (rather than a detailed local plan) – but you still need planning approval, it’s not a free-for-all.

The exact coefficients (build %, floors, etc.) sit in the emirname tables – you’d pull those off the Şehir Planlama site or via an architect.

2.2 Alagadi Special Environmental Protection Area – the western “red line”

Immediately west of Esentepe centre you hit Alagadi Special Environmental Protection Area (ÖÇKB) – the turtle beaches.

• There is a specific Alagadi Environment Plan produced by Şehir Planlama for this area.

• A revised management plan in 2023 tightened things:

No building permit can be issued and no construction can take place in the Alagadi SEPA without the explicit permission of the Environment Protection Department, and any permit must comply with the Environment Law.

• The plan’s goals are to protect turtle nesting areas, strictly control and restrict building, and limit access and activities on the beaches.

• The SEPA itself falls under Esentepe Municipality for civic functions (garbage, water, and yes, building permits – but now subject to the Environment Dept’s veto).

So for any plot/project west of or near Alagadi: You’re not just under planning law – you’re in a special protection regime where even a small building can be refused if Environment says no.

2.3 Girne–Çatalköy İmar Plan & revision – the “coming wave”

There is a Girne–Çatalköy Development Plan listed on Şehir Planlama’s official plans page.

In October 2025 the Planning Department, Girne Municipality and Çatalköy–Esentepe Municipality announced that revision work on this plan has formally started – site visits, technical team, etc.

• For now, that revision is focused on the Girne–Çatalköy planning area, not the whole Esentepe coastline.

• Politically, though, it signals that the coastal corridor from Girne through Çatalköy and towards Esentepe is moving towards a more integrated, modern planning framework – higher expectations on infrastructure and environmental performance.

So short term, Esentepe is basically emirname + Alagadi SEPA; medium term you should assume tighter and more structured control is coming, not looser.

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3. What this looks like on the ground in Esentepe

3.1 Coastal strip (Esentepe – Bahçeli direction)

• Property agencies class Esentepe and neighbouring Bahçeli as part of a “Coastal Prime Zone” – heavy resort and apartment development along the coast road.

• Major developers advertise “planned development zones with controlled urban expansion” and master-planned holiday villages/complexes rather than random one-off builds.

In practice this means:

• Use – predominantly residential and tourism (apart-hotels, holiday villages, serviced apartments), with local retail and F&B in specific sub-zones.

• Form – clusters of low- to mid-rise blocks, pools and shared facilities; densities higher on the seafront and around established schemes, dropping off inland. (This is an observation from the development pattern and the way plots are marketed rather than a single statute.)

3.2 Old village & hillside

• The original Esentepe village up the hill is a traditional settlement with mainly Turkish Cypriot population and a growing expat share.

• Legally, it falls under the general system of “planlama onayına bağlı yerleşimler” – settlements where all building and major alterations require planning approval under Law 55/1989.

Pattern there:

• More individual villas & infill, less of the giant resort schemes.

• Streets are tighter; services and access can be the limiting factor rather than pure plot size.

3.3 The “ecology front line” – Alagadi & fringe plots

Because Alagadi SEPA is directly adjacent:

• There’s active conflict between conservation groups and development interests. For example, the Planners’ Chamber sued Şehir Planlama, Girne District and Çatalköy–Esentepe Belediyesi over approvals alleged to violate the Alagadi plan.

• The 2023 revised management plan for Alagadi explicitly says no permit or construction without Environment Dept sign-off, and narrows the areas where any development could even be considered.

If you’re anywhere near that western end of Esentepe, expect:

• Extra layers of bureaucracy,

• Higher risk of legal challenge,

• And a decent chance that what was “possible” ten years ago is now politically toxic.

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4. New municipal projects & direction of travel

A couple of recent moves give you a feel for where Esentepe is heading:

• The municipality is building the Esentepe Promenade – a new seaside walking route between Esentepe and the Sivil Savunma (Civil Defence) area, with coastal stabilisation works etc.

That signals:

• More emphasis on public coastal access and landscape,

• And likely more pressure, over time, to keep first-line plots either public or at least more open and landscaped, rather than wall-to-wall private compounds.

Combine that with:

• The Alagadi revision (harder environmental controls),

• And the 2024 immovable property law tightening the link between real-estate transactions and proper planning/building permits across the TRNC,

…and the overall direction is:

Stricter compliance, more scrutiny of coastal projects, and less tolerance for “build now, regularise later”.

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5. If you’re evaluating Esentepe Developments right now

Here’s the checklist I’d use:

Step 1 – Locate it in relation to Alagadi

• Is any part of the plot within Alagadi SEPA or its immediate buffer?

  • If yes, you must factor in the 2023 rule: no_inşaat ruhsatı_ (building permit) or construction without Environment Dept approval, and they can simply say “no”.

Step 2 – Confirm which planning instrument applies

• Ask your architect (or check via Şehir Planlama) which zone in the Girne 2nd Region Emirnamesi your parcel falls in (ESENTEPE 1 / 2 and the exact code like XI/4.E2, etc.).

• From that they can pull:

  • Permitted use(s) (pure residential vs tourism/resort etc.)

  • Density / build coefficient and maximum floors

  • Setbacks and road / access requirements

Step 3 – Check approvals status

For any existing or proposed build:

1. Planning approval from Şehir Planlama under Law 55/1989.

2. Building permit from Çatalköy–Esentepe Belediyesi or Girne District Office.

3. If near Alagadi – Environment Dept written permission under the SEPA management plan.

And, since May 2024:

• For foreign purchasers, the new immovable property law means purchase permits and contract registrations are increasingly tied to those planning/building statuses – authorities want to see projects properly permitted, not speculative.

Step 4 – Watch the medium-term planning shift

Because Girne–Çatalköy Plan is now under revision with Çatalköy–Esentepe on the team:

• I’d assume future reviews for Esentepe will tighten, not loosen:

  • More focus on traffic, parking, infrastructure

  • More insistence on public access and environmental mitigation on the coast

So anything that’s only marginally compliant today may find it harder to expand, phase up, or get retrospective blessings later.