After a dispute of many years over financing the NIS 600 million cost of decontaminating Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI) land in Ramat Hasharon, on which 23,000 housing units are planned, last night, Prime Minister's Office director general Harel Locker led the signing of an agreement which removes the final obstacle to depositing the plan and making progress on selling the land. In the agreement signed, the parties agreed on the structure of the financing.
The agreement was signed as part of the discussions of the committee for removing barriers to construction, which Locker chairs.
In June, it was decided to deposit the IMI Hasharon plan for 23,000 housing units in Ramat Hasharon, Hod Hasharon, Herzliya, and Ramot Hashavim. The IMI land is 7,500 dunam (1,375 acres), and it will be sold for the construction of housing by the Israel Land Authority in stages through 2050.
However, until now, it has not been possible to make progress on depositing the plan because of the lack of financing for decontaminating the ground water. The dispute between the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defense, the Israel Land Authority, and the Water Authority on this point has been going on for years. The disagreement over financing the decontamination was an additional factor delaying the plan, in addition to the plan's many incarnations in the planning commissions and courts.
Last night, the parties signed an agreement, under which the Israel Land Authority will pay an initial NIS 11 million for a pilot to test the best technologies for decontaminating the ground water. The parties also agreed that, by July 2014, the share of financing by each party will be decided.
Meanwhile, hundreds of local residents around the IMI Hasharon compound have organized and signed objections to the plan.
During last night's meeting, Locker said, "The Netanyahu government is continuing to increase the housing supply in high-demand areas in order to lower home prices."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 27, 2012
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