More than five years after work on it began, National Outline Plan 70, which regulates construction around the planned Metro stations, was due to receive government approval yesterday. However, as reported by “Globes” yesterday, because of Minister of Transport Miri Regev’s objection to the plan for the northern section of the north-south M1 line of the Metro and the siting of the Metro depot in Kfra Sava, and her desire to connect the line to the Samaria region, approval of National Outline Plan 70 was deferred, putting the construction of some 300,000 housing units at risk. The plan cannot be approved until statutory approval is obtained for all the Metro lines.
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National Outline Plan 70 is designed to guide urban planning and density of development and urban renewal around the Metro stations in such a way as to encourage use of public transport and to capture the rise in value of real estate as a result of proximity to the stations for the purposes of special taxation that is an important component of the financing of the Metro project.
Among the projects that will be stuck because of the failure to approve National Outline Plan 70 are plans for 18,500 housing units around the Glilot South station, 17,500 housing units at Holon South, urban renewal plans for 4,000 units around the Petah Tikva Municipality station, 3,400 units at the Haroeh Ramat Gan station, 3,800 at the Givatayim Katzenelson station, 1,500 units at the Bat Yam Komemiyut site, 1,300 units at the Holon Yoseftal site, and many other projects. Until National Outline Plan 70 is approved, these projects cannot proceed to the building permit stage.
The Ministry of Transport stated in response: “These are tendentious and groundless claims with no factual basis. Following an approach by the heads of the regional councils of South Sharon and Samaria and the mayors of Kfar Sava and Tira, the minister of transport requested a further discussion of the location of the depot and extension of the Metro line to the Eyal intersection. The existing plan provides a transport solution to just one neighborhood in Kfar Sava, while the proposed alternative will provide a solution for hundreds of thousands of residents. In the light of all this, the minister of transport requested a further discussion in the National Infrastructures Committee to reexamine extension of the line to the Eyal intersection and the location of the depot.”
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on April 28, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
