5.  The applicant was born in 1939 and lives in Ankara. 6.  On the basis of a construction permit obtained on 10 August 1976, Mr M.A. built a house in Boğazkurt, Ankara. The construction of the house and its annexes was completed in 1978. Mr M.A. planted trees around the house and regularly paid property tax to the authorities. The property in question was subsequently purchased by the applicant in 1996 (see paragraph 11 below). 7.  In the meantime, on 21 January 1981 the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement notified Mr M.A. that his construction permit had expired on 10 August 1980 and that he had not yet applied for a property utilisation permit. In this context, he was requested to provide a report proving that the utilisation of the property did not pose any threat to public health or to the environment. 8.  On 30 January 1981 the Kızılcahamam district government doctor issued a report stating that the utilisation of the property in question did not pose any threat to public health and that its construction had been completed in compliance with the environmental regulations. 9.  On 11 February 1981 that report was submitted to the Ministry. 10.  On 10 May 1981 Mr M.A. filed an application with the Ankara Provincial Construction Directorate for the renewal of the construction permit. In response, the administration notified him on 21 May 1982 that his application was currently being dealt with. 11.  On 18 July 1996 the applicant bought the property from Mr M.A. On the same day, the land registry office issued him a title deed attesting his ownership of the property. Furthermore, the village mayor (muhtar) certified in writing that the previous owner had been residing in the property in question since 11 August 1976. 12.  On 11 November 1998 the Directorate of Public Works and Settlement of the Ankara Governorship notified the applicant that the construction on his land must be demolished as it had been completed in the absence of the required construction permit. 13.  On 20 November 1998 the same directorate notified the following to the applicant:
“The construction permit for the property was issued on 10 August 1976 and expired on 10 August 1980. An application for the renewal of the construction permit was not filed in time. The required property utilisation permit was not obtained either. The property is located in the absolute protection zone, which is the immediate zone within 300 metres of sources of drinkable water. According to the Law on Hygiene and the Regulation on the Prevention of Water Pollution, construction within 300 metres of sources of drinking water and their basin is prohibited. On 11 November 1998, for these reasons, an order for the cessation of construction was issued regarding the house. As the issue of a new construction permit is not legally possible in these circumstances, it is requested that the construction on your land be demolished; otherwise it shall be demolished following the adoption of a decision by the Ankara Administrative Council.” 14.  On 5 January 1999 the Ankara Administrative Council issued a demolition order based on the reasons specified in the notification of the Directorate of Public Works and Settlement of the Ankara Governorship. 15.  On 26 February 1999 the applicant sought the annulment of the demolition order, stating that the construction had been completed within two years after the required permit had been obtained, so that the issue of a new construction permit was never required. He further maintained that the previous owner had also applied for a property utilisation permit on 11 February 1981, attaching the requested documents to his application, but that the administration had never responded. 16.  In February 1999 the applicant brought an action before the Kızılcahamam Civil Court to have the legal status of his property determined. 17.  On 16 February 1999 a committee of experts appointed by the court visited the location and subsequently issued a report stating that the house on the applicant's land had been constructed twenty years earlier. 18.  On 22 September 1999 the Ankara Administrative Court decided that the demolition order issued by the administrative council had to be annulled, stating as follows:
“The administration failed to prove the exact date of the beginning and completion of the construction in question. As it was not definite that the construction of the property still continued after the expiry of the relevant construction permit, it was not possible to decide on the legal status of the construction. In the action brought by the applicant for the determination of the legal status of the property, it was held that the house was constructed twenty years ago. Furthermore, in a notification issued by the Ankara Provincial Directorate it was stated that the applicant had applied for the renewal of the construction permit on 5 May 1981. Finally, the Law on Hygiene and Regulation on the Prevention of Water Pollution provides that constructions that are not in compliance with its provisions shall be discontinued, not demolished.” 19.  On 29 March 2001, upon the administration's appeal, the Supreme Administrative Court quashed that judgment on the grounds that the applicant's house had been constructed after the relevant permit had expired. 20.  On 6 March 2003 the Ankara Administrative Court followed the Supreme Administrative Court's decision and dismissed the applicant's action for the annulment of the demolition order. 21.  On 21 April 2003 the Directorate of Public Works and Settlement of the Ankara Governorship notified the applicant that, pursuant to the Ankara Administrative Court's judgment of 6 March 2003, he must have his house demolished within thirty days of his receipt of the notification. 22.  On 26 May 2004 the applicant's house was demolished by the administration.