Overlapping of mine sites and highway route in Turkey: Evaluation in terms of mining land use criteria and land-use planning

Mining, by nature, is a sector that requires broad land-use. On the other hand, in many sectors, are made changes in land-use apart from land-use planning for their activity. This situation causes an overlapping between other areas of activity such as energy or infrastructure investment activities and mining areas. One of these occurred as a result of the overlapping which emerged between a highway project planned to be constructed in Izmir by the General Directorate of Highways (KGM) in Turkey and some of the andesite/basaltic mine sites. On-site Audit Committee evaluated the overlapping mining sites and based on the relevant report, the Board decided in favor of the highway route activity. Overlapping with highway routes negatively and differently affected mining operations due to the different locations of mineral reserves and mine open-pits/facilities. The main reasons for it result from the fact that the highway overlap isn’t pre-planned or that the whole of mineral reserves wasn't determined as completely proved reserve during area overlap. In this study, the affected states of mining operations which overlapped with highway route are analyzed by considering mining land-use concepts. In this overlapping, an effort was made for the continuation of both activities on the condition that the highway route would remain unchanged and mining operation license and permit areas would be narrowed down. Once the minerals are discovered as proved reserves, they should be shown in upper-scaled environmental plans, and thus, efforts should be made to protect mine areas against any other investment activity to be planned later on. When a mining investor applies for an operating license, it is beneficial that the investor is completely informed regarding whether there is/will be another activity in the area the investor applies for. Hence, after starting production, area overlaps due to the projects foreseen afterwards can be prevented. Moving to the practices in which mining and other sectors are evaluated within the framework of a strategic planning will help solve the problems. •A mine-highway route overlap was analyzed by considering the terms mining land-use.•The legislation in Turkey was announced on the matter of overlapping of mining and energy/infrastructure activities.•Matters such as land-use plannings and processes for highway construction were explained.•Do highways correspond with upper-scaled development plans, are mines evaluated with other sectors i