Minister of the Interior Gideon Sa'ar is certain that the planning and building procedures reform, nicknamed the "pergola reform", will be passed next week, and that it will affect home prices. "Next week, on the government's first anniversary, the reform will receive its final approval," he said at the "Globes" 2014 Real Estate Conference on Wednesday.
"I set many targets - real, comprehensive, and good reform in planning and building procedures. I set timetables for implementing it. This reform is just as good as the reform that did not pass. It is even better. It will affect people's lives, developers, government-people relations, and government-municipality relations," said Sa'ar.
"This is the most important reform made in the past 50 years. This reform changes the rules of the game. It decentralizes an inefficient centralized system, reduces delays, and facilitates planning procedures. Power will move from the regional planning commissions to the local commissions, streamlining procedures.
"The biggest problem today is that every plan goes through six committees. This creates a huge jam in the approval of plans and projects. The pyramid was not built right. The concentration of power paralyzes the system. For years, we were afraid to take power away from the committees, even though this has been done all over the world. This concept undermines democracy."
Sa'ar said, "From August 1, a person will not need government approval for anything he does to his private property. In other words, he can build, in line with the regulations, a storeroom, a fence, a pergola, and other things, without needing permission. The concept that every everything a person does requires a government permit is anachronistic and embitters people's lives in Israel. It is wrong and it does not work."
Sa'ar added, "Within 18 months, we will also establish licensing bureaus that will be a one-stop-shop. I advise everyone to study this new reform, and from next week, we will go to its implementation stage and other broad amendments to the Planning and Building Law."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 13, 2014
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