Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon on Tuesday 9 Iyar signed another component of his housing reform into law. The new regulations compel committees around the country to grant permits in under 90 days [after receipt of all required documentation], a move intended to limit the bureaucratic snarls that have slowed building around the country.

The regulations compel local building committees to provide full detailed information regarding regulations and requirements pertaining to building programs, regional guidelines, condition and restriction regarding a proposed construction project while prohibiting adding conditions that were not announced at the beginning of the process.

A government website will also publish the entire process so all the information is available to everyone, seeking to avoid the “I didn’t know” that often occurred in the past when guidelines were not as readily available. The website details the requirements, regulations and entire process from beginning to end.

Head of the Planning Authority Binat Schwartz explains this new component of the housing reform will permit one obtain authorization to move ahead with a project in a maximum of 90 days after submitting all the necessary data and information as explained on the website. She explains the goal is to move from compelling one to submit papers by hand to completing the entire process online on a single platform. She adds that there will be kinks in the system in the beginning as the online service is new, calling on the public to exhibit patience. Schwartz asks that the public notify the authority immediately of all bugs in the new system, which cost NIS 120 million to set up. The authority contacted planning boards and authorities around the country in an effort to create a website that is capable of addressing all applications. Some 2,300 requests were reviewed towards accommodating all of these requests on the new online system.

At present the new system is running in a trial phase but it will become compulsory in two months. In the next and final phase of the reform, monitoring devices will be operating to facilitate obtaining the necessary permits from relevant agencies as well as launching a speed track for authorization for building permits for certain permits within 45 days. This is scheduled to get underway in six months.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)