Recently, the National Planning Headquarters, led by Rabbi Natan Alantan, has announced a new regulation that aims to promote religious values ​​by requiring between 15% and 20% of apartments in new buildings to be built with sukkah balconies. The purpose of this regulation is to cater to the religious-Orthodox buying public in all cities of the country, rather than limiting them to ultra-Orthodox cities or neighborhoods.
This decision comes after an agreement was reached a few months ago between the Chairman of the Interior Committee, MK Yaakov Asher, and the National Planning Headquarters. The agreement allows local committees to issue permits for open sukkah balconies beyond the building’s rights and without area restrictions, as long as they do not exceed the building’s lines. The Chairman of the National Planning Headquarters, Natan Elanathan, emphasized that the permit for sukkah balconies will no longer be limited to 14 square meters, and its area will not be reduced due to balconies and covered service areas included in the building rights. The objective is to create opportunities for the Mitzvah-observant public to live in every building, neighborhood, and city in Israel.
However, this expansion of permits for sukkah balconies has faced some criticism from architects. Aviv Hait, CEO of Dunam Real Estate and Finance, explained in an interview that these balconies pose challenges for architects, especially in buildings that exceed ten stories. He stated that building tiered balconies is not technically feasible and would disrupt the appearance of the building. Hait further revealed that these balconies are no longer relevant, even in a smaller size of 60 cm, and architects hate them because they believe they make the building ugly.
Despite these concerns, the National Planning Headquarters and Rabbi Natan Alantan are moving forward with their promotion of sukkah balconies. This new regulation aims to provide a pool of apartments that align with religious-Orthodox values in all cities of Israel, offering more opportunities for the Mitzvah-observant public to find suitable housing.