The Interior Committee approved the ‘Almond Alternative’ for shortening bureaucratic procedures in NAP 38, and at the request of MK Yaakov, which determined that in the event of an appeal, the Appeals Committee may decide for itself that there is no justification for delaying the permit | The Interior Minister may extend this to other programs, with the approval of the Interior Committee
Haim Schiff 07.03.2022
The Interior and Environmental Protection Committee, headed by MK Walid Taha, approved on second and third reading the bill known as the “Almond Alternative to NAP 38”.
The bill is revolutionary in that it will significantly shorten bureaucratic procedures, in that approving a plan will also constitute a building permit. Shaked’s alternative to NAP 38 is a “pilot project” (pilot) for rapid licensing. The planning and licensing procedures will be consolidated and carried out in parallel. This will save the procedure that has been so far, which requires two rounds of hearing objections. From now on, in every decision on the deposit of a plan, the application for a permit will be conducted in parallel and a unified procedure of hearing objections will be conducted.
The law deals with individual buildings that seek to undergo reinforcement and the addition of a security guard, or to go the route of demolishing the old and unsafe structure, and erecting a new structure beneath it. The new construction area on the site could be up to 400% in case the old one is demolished, and in case of reinforcement, an additional construction of up to 200% will be allowed, in order to give the developers the economic incentive. Since the bill does not provide an answer to the periphery (just as the original NAP 38 did not provide an answer to this, solutions are being formulated at the planning headquarters to strengthen buildings in the periphery.
The bill includes a solution to another problem that was discovered during the implementation of NAP 38, and that is the lack of public buildings created when in neighborhoods where many houses passed NAP 38 many tenants were added, without having a solution of public services such as kindergartens, schools, synagogues, synagogues , And other public needs.
In the plan for the demolition and reconstruction route, the local committee may include adding uses for public needs, as well as increasing the total area allowed for construction, provided that the area designated for public use does not exceed 10% of the total area allowed for construction after enlargement. These public needs could be a kindergarten, preschool, education, welfare or clinic.
In the route of strengthening the building, the local committee may include increasing the area allowed for construction for public needs, provided that the total area allowed for construction does not exceed 14% of the total area increased.
The full exemption from the improvement levy that NAP 38 also weighed heavily on the municipalities, which were asked to respond to a growing number of residents, without this having a budgetary source. Under the current bill, there will be a partial exemption from the improvement levy – 25% and not 50%.
At the request of MK Yaakov Asher, a clause is added to the bill according to which in the case of an appeal against a building permit in a building in need of reinforcement, the Appeals Committee may decide that there is no justification to delay the permit due to the appeal. The Interior Minister may extend this to other programs, with the approval of the Interior Committee.