The reform to simplify planning and building procedures has gotten underway. The Prime Minister's Office today announced the approval of the draft recommendations for the reform. The objective is to speed up the granting of building permits not only for developers, but also for individuals seeking improvements to their homes, such as closing in a balcony or building a fence, which currently face long and exhausting procedures.
The reform's first stage, called "The licensing revolution" aims at improving, shortening, and simplifying building permits by digitalizing the process, and creating three tracks that will shorten the waiting time for building permits. The reform calls for the establishment of private control centers that will be one-stop-shops for all the agencies authorized to grant professional certification in various areas.
The first track is a full exemption from the need for licensing procedures and immediate permits for minor applications, such as placing solar energy receptors if they meet threshold conditions.
The second track is an abbreviated procedure to grant a building permit within 45 days, for additions of up to 25 square meters or the installation of an elevator in an existing building. The third track is a full procedure to grant a building permit within 90 days, for the construction of new buildings for various purposes.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "This is a real revolution and important very news for the Israeli public and economy. The reform will shorten and simplify the bureaucracy and enable both developers and citizens to prepare plans without bureaucratic foot-dragging."
Yesterday, Netanyahu told the Knesset plenum, "As far as this reform is concerned, we're not a Third World country, but a fifth.'
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 19, 2009
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