In a speech at the opening of this meeting, which was attended by the governor of the province, Adil El Maliki, the secretary general of regional affairs of the wilaya of Marrakech-Safi, the president of the University Cadi Ayyad, elected officials and the various members of the council and representatives of the ministerial departments, the inspector general of land use planning and urban development, Reda Guennoun, who chaired this session, indicated that the boards of directors constitute an opportunity to evaluate the achievements of these institutions and a platform for interaction, debate and exchanges around the issues and data of the Urban Planning and Land Use sector.
Mr. Guennoun also noted that the work of this session is part of the new responsibilities entrusted to urban agencies and their role vis-à-vis all stakeholders for the implementation of major strategic projects, in particular the implementation of the New Development Model and the Investment Charter, under the enlightened leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and of which the urban planning sector constitutes a cornerstone within the framework of the convergence of the various sectoral programs and policies.
And the official added that this session is held after the launch of the National Dialogue on Urban Planning and Housing, under the High Patronage of His Majesty the King, and which aims to trigger an in-depth debate with all stakeholders at both urban and rural levels, in order to build a roadmap for a new public policy in this area and meet the requirements of territorial development in its multiple dimensions.
He also praised the pioneering role of the Essaouira Urban Agency in supporting the ecosystem of actors at the regional and local levels with the aim of achieving balanced and inclusive development, taking into account the territorial specificities of the province and relying on the efforts made by the executives of this establishment.
Mr. Guennoun highlighted the natural, cultural and architectural assets of the province of Essaouira, stressing the need to continue supporting local stakeholders in order to achieve integrated development and participate in guiding local public decision-making towards higher levels and also support public and private interventions, according to an approach that offers optimal conditions to ensure the flow and circulation of investment capital, particularly in the sectors of tourism, industry and agriculture, and to focus on the rural world to support emerging centers.
He also stressed the need to pay great attention to the ancient fabric and to preserve the architectural and urban heritage of the Medina of Essaouira, while ensuring permanent coordination between the different actors in order to complete its complementary rehabilitation and development program 2019-2023, which aims to preserve the architectural specificities of the Medina and to enhance its tangible and intangible heritage, in addition to improving its infrastructure and integrating it into a global development system in order to strengthen its attractiveness as a national and international tourist destination.
Speaking on M24, the MAP continuous news television channel, Mr. Guennoun indicated that this session was an opportunity to take stock of the achievements of this young establishment over the previous year and to present its provisional program for the next three years, describing the results of AUESS as positive, as confirmed by the indicators and rates achieved in the different areas.
For his part, Mr. El Maliki welcomed the efforts made by AUESS to monitor and support major investment and structuring projects, and in the area of coverage in new generation urban planning documents, taking into account territorial specificities and regional and sectoral strategies at the provincial level.
The governor also stressed the importance of paying particular attention to the old fabric and of boosting the role of the Heritage and Monitoring Committee, within which the Urban Agency plays a crucial role, by inviting the members of the council to provide the necessary assistance to this institution to accomplish the missions entrusted to it.
Subsequently, the director of AUESS, Zahra Sahi, gave a comprehensive presentation in which the manager focused, with figures and indicators in terms of urban planning and management, on the moral and financial reports for the year 2022, the forecast program for the next two years 2024 and 2025, as well as on the assessment of activities and cooperation and partnership with the various stakeholders.
While highlighting the Agency’s achievements for the year 2022, Ms. Sahi noted that in terms of urban planning, the coverage rate of the centers of the province’s municipalities in new generation urban planning documents reached 93%, specifying that the past year was marked by the approval of two urban planning documents, the most important of which is the Development and Safeguarding Plan for the Medina of Essaouira, in addition to monitoring the completion of 29 studies of urban planning documents and 05 specific studies, while strategic studies are underway and will make it possible to support the pace of urban planning in an operational and sustainable manner, in harmony with the orientations of the new development model.
Regarding the improvement of the standard of living, the director said that the approval rate of the authorization application files studied at the level of the city of Essaouira reached 84%, and 81% for the rest of the municipalities of the province.
In a statement to M24, Ms. Sahi mentioned the Complementary Program for the Rehabilitation and Development of the Medina of Essaouira, affirming that all the projects presented during the year 2022 to the Studies and Validation Commission have been approved.
He continued that the Unified Regional Investment Commission has adopted a new approach in processing the various projects submitted, based on granting authorization to projects with an economic and social impact at the level of the province of Essaouira, taking into consideration the vocations of the different areas, knowing that the approval rate of investment projects for the year 2022 has reached 45%.
In the field of improving public, local and communication services, Ms. Sahi recalled that her establishment participated alongside the Urban Agencies of the Marrakech-Safi region in the local caravan, which made it possible to observe in situ the constraints of communities and citizens and ensured that adequate solutions were provided through direct contact with the rural population.
Regarding the forecast program for the coming years (2023, 2024, 2025), Ms. Sahi specified that the latter provides for the launch of several studies relating to urban planning documents and new generation specific studies, particularly in the centers surrounding the city of Essaouira.
During the debate opened on this occasion, members of the board of directors, including presidents of municipal councils, raised certain constraints linked to urban planning and the challenges of the rural world in certain municipalities of the province, while welcoming the efforts made by the agency, as demonstrated by the data and achievements made by the establishment, particularly in terms of coverage in urban planning documents, simplification of procedures and interest in emerging centres.
They also stressed the importance of paying more attention to cultural heritage in rural areas, calling on the management and executives of the establishment to make more efforts to provide appropriate responses to certain specific issues at the provincial level, which is predominantly rural.
2024-09-07 04:08:31