Northern Israeli Council Heads Slam Planning Amendment, Citing Rural Growth Barriers

Heads of northern Israeli regional councils have sent a sharp letter to Rafi Almaliach, Director General of the Planning Administration, criticizing Amendment No. 5 to National Outline Plan 35 (TAMA 35). They argue the amendment imposes new restrictions on lot sizes, building dimensions, and settlement expansion, alongside numerous new planning requirements that will significantly increase costs and render many projects unfeasible. The council heads contend the amendment reflects a flawed worldview, creating a stark disparity in how Jewish and Arab communities are treated.

According to the letter, the amendment operates under the assumption that significant expansion of rural settlements, excluding minority communities, is undesirable and requires "restraint" and densification. Conversely, it presumes that natural growth and the need for viable planning on state-owned land are self-evident only in minority communities. The council leaders also state the plan assumes population dispersal and encouraging young couples to move to the periphery do not justify substantial expansion of building areas in non-minority rural settlements.

Consequently, the northern council heads are demanding a blanket exemption for their communities from the new planning requirements. They argue that while the amendment might hold logic for established central Israeli communities, it is ill-suited for the northern periphery, given its unique security and demographic challenges. "The time has come to tell the truth, we need to double the size of northern settlements by 2050," they wrote, proposing practical steps to increase housing quotas, expand settlement areas, and ease density requirements, noting that some areas already require high-rise construction.

Attached to the main letter was a detailed document from Tomer Levin, Chief Engineer of the Misgav Regional Council. Levin stated the proposed text creates "significant barriers that could actually delay expansions, hinder the implementation of existing plans, and impose heavy planning, inspection, and infrastructure costs on the councils." He highlighted that the amendment requires a comprehensive re-planning of entire settlements, including older sections, for even small additions of dozens of homes. This, he argued, constitutes an "unbearable burden" and an "unproportionate" cost for minor housing additions, requiring extensive data collection that may not be readily available, especially for smaller settlements.

Levin further pointed out the lack of a fixed format for the required "settlement document," leading to ongoing uncertainty. He also warned of potential duplication and contradictions with other broader plans. The requirement to re-evaluate an entire settlement for every housing addition could turn any specific plan into a battleground for the settlement's future, thereby delaying simple internal densification. "Unfortunately, the proposed text replaces a simple quantitative barrier with a complex system of planning, programmatic, and administrative barriers that will not allow the promotion and approval of detailed plans for settlement expansion at the practical level," Levin concluded, asserting it would "not allow the continued development of settlements in the central Galilee."

The discussions on the proposed amendment are nearing their final stages, and without changes, the outcome could severely impact the future of Zionist settlement in the Negev and Galilee.