After many delays, the cabinet today approved National Outline Plan 35, formulation of which began in early 1996. The cabinet approved the plan after negotiations with regional councils that had opposed it.
National Outline Plan 35 replaces National Outline Plan 31, and will be the framework for district and local planning and building boards’ plans. The government approved National Outline Plan 31, which was supposed to stay in effect through 1998, but was extended.
Approval of National Outline Plan 35 was delayed until now because of objections by regional councils, which claimed that the plan included rural communities within urban planning areas, thereby taking away rural communities’ land without compensation. The regional councils claimed that the switch to an urban fabric would change the rural lifestyle.
The cabinet was scheduled to discuss approval of National Outline Plan 35 last week, but the meeting was postponed on the grounds of a lack of time. Well-informed sources said the cancellation was due to objections by regional council heads to the plan.
The principle features of National Outline Plan 35 include strengthening urban centers where most of Israel’s population resides, preserving open spaces by building high-rises in cities, strengthening existing communities, and avoiding the establishment of new ones.
National Outline Plan 35 defines four urban areas - greater Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Beersheva - with rural areas, parks and national parks between them.
National Outline Plan 35 devotes an extensive chapter to the Negev. Although Beersheva is defined as a metropolitan area, the rest of the central and southern Negev are planned as open space where natural scenery will be preserved.
Opponents of National Outline Plan 35 claimed that preventing the establishment of new communities and restrictions on space in rural communities in the Negev and Galilee would further strengthen the center of the country at the expense of outlying areas. Ministry of Internal Affairs planning department director Shamay Assif said National Outline Plan 35 emphasized the Negev and Galilee, while differentiating between cities and open spaces and preventing suburbanization in the central region.
National Outline Plan 35 calls for new roads and transportation means to outlying areas, in order to improve access to the center of the country. It also calls for the preservation of green stretches from north to south and east to west along Israel’s principle rivers.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on November 27, 2005