[MakkabI]
November 23rd, 2004, 01:19 PM
A subcommittee of the National Planning and Building Council decided Tuesday to reject the construction of residential units on part of the planned Ayalon Park in south Tel Aviv.
The official plan submitted to the board designated the entire area as parkland. But the Hazera corporation, which holds an agricultural lease on part of the land earmarked for the park, asked the council to amend the plan in order to permit construction on this land.
Hazera had been expected to appeal to the full board, and then to the courts should the panel decide against the construction. The company already has submitted three petitions to the High Court of Justice against earlier decisions to approve the plan as is, with no construction.
Hazera's request, however, faces widespread opposition from mayors in the Gush Dan area, where the park will be located, as well as environmental organizations and the Environment Ministry.
The Ayalon Park is slated to encompass 8,000 dunams of land, including the existing Park Darom plus some 3,000 dunams of agricultural land belonging to the town of Mikveh Israel.
The plan is partially designed to solve existing environmental problems such as the Hiriya dump, which needs to be stabilized and repaired.
In addition, a significant portion of the area will be designed as a reservoir in which floodwaters can be collected, in an effort to prevent periodic flooding of south Tel Aviv during heavy rains.
One of Hazera's main arguments in favor of permitting construction in part of the park is that some of the profits could be used to finance the park's development, which might otherwise stall for lack of funds. This week, the company's legal advisor, Eli Zohar, asked acting Environment Minister Ilan Shalgi to review the company's reasoning on this score.
"It is better to build the park now than to be seduced by megalomaniac plans that will lead to the park not being built in our generation," Zohar wrote.
But officials involved in planning the park rejected this argument, noting that only part of the land is earmarked for recreational use, which requires the development of infrastructure and facilities.
This portion is about the size of Hayarkon Park, which the Tel Aviv municipality financed entirely on its own - whereas all Gush Dan cities are contributing to funding Ayalon Park, they said.
Hazera had also tried to persuade Gush Dan mayors to withdraw their support for leaving the entire area as open parkland.
The official plan submitted to the board designated the entire area as parkland. But the Hazera corporation, which holds an agricultural lease on part of the land earmarked for the park, asked the council to amend the plan in order to permit construction on this land.
Hazera had been expected to appeal to the full board, and then to the courts should the panel decide against the construction. The company already has submitted three petitions to the High Court of Justice against earlier decisions to approve the plan as is, with no construction.
Hazera's request, however, faces widespread opposition from mayors in the Gush Dan area, where the park will be located, as well as environmental organizations and the Environment Ministry.
The Ayalon Park is slated to encompass 8,000 dunams of land, including the existing Park Darom plus some 3,000 dunams of agricultural land belonging to the town of Mikveh Israel.
The plan is partially designed to solve existing environmental problems such as the Hiriya dump, which needs to be stabilized and repaired.
In addition, a significant portion of the area will be designed as a reservoir in which floodwaters can be collected, in an effort to prevent periodic flooding of south Tel Aviv during heavy rains.
One of Hazera's main arguments in favor of permitting construction in part of the park is that some of the profits could be used to finance the park's development, which might otherwise stall for lack of funds. This week, the company's legal advisor, Eli Zohar, asked acting Environment Minister Ilan Shalgi to review the company's reasoning on this score.
"It is better to build the park now than to be seduced by megalomaniac plans that will lead to the park not being built in our generation," Zohar wrote.
But officials involved in planning the park rejected this argument, noting that only part of the land is earmarked for recreational use, which requires the development of infrastructure and facilities.
This portion is about the size of Hayarkon Park, which the Tel Aviv municipality financed entirely on its own - whereas all Gush Dan cities are contributing to funding Ayalon Park, they said.
Hazera had also tried to persuade Gush Dan mayors to withdraw their support for leaving the entire area as open parkland.