Government bill · 19th Knesset · published as law 25 December 2013

חוק הליכי תכנון ובנייה להאצת הבנייה למגורים (הוראת שעה) (תיקון), התשע"ד-2013Planning and Building Procedures Law for Accelerating Residential Construction (temporary provision) (Amendment), 2013 · automatic translation · suggest a correction

Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית

Topics: Housing, land and construction* · * from the Knesset's official law classification

What the sponsors propose

The original law from 2011 established special and expedited procedures for approving national housing plans, through National Housing Committees, as a temporary provision. According to the sponsors, accumulated experience shows that the expedited procedure significantly shortened the time for approving plans and reduced the burden on the district committees, and therefore it is proposed to extend the validity of the temporary provision until 11 August 2015 (48 months from the commencement of the law instead of 18+8 months). It is also proposed to expand the definition of "national housing plan" to include land of which only 40% is Israel Land, to allow the submission of plans also by private landowners under certain conditions, to add arrangements for evacuation and reconstruction plans, and to extend various periods set in the law (such as the period for meeting the committee's conditions, the timeframe for commencing implementation of the plan, and others), with the aim - according to the sponsors - of improving the submitted plan and streamlining the planning process until its approval.

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Hebrew original

החוק המקורי משנת 2011 קבע הליכים מיוחדים ומקוצרים לאישור תכניות דיור לאומי, באמצעות ועדות לדיור לאומי (וד״ל), כהוראת שעה. לדברי המציעים, הניסיון שהצטבר מראה כי ההליך המקוצר קיצר משמעותית את זמן אישור התכניות והפחית את העומס על הוועדות המחוזיות, ולכן מוצע להאריך את תוקף הוראת השעה עד 11 באוגוסט 2015 (48 חודשים מתחילת החוק במקום 18+8 חודשים). כמו כן מוצע להרחיב את הגדרת ״תכנית לדיור לאומי״ כך שתכלול גם קרקע שרק 40% ממנה מקרקעי ישראל, לאפשר הגשת תכניות גם בידי בעלי קרקע פרטית בתנאים מסוימים, להוסיף הסדרים לתכניות פינוי ובינוי, ולהאריך תקופות שונות הקבועות בחוק (כגון תקופת עמידה בתנאי הוועדה, פרק הזמן לתחילת ביצוע התכנית ועוד), במטרה - לדברי המציעים - לשפר את התכנית המוגשת ולייעל את ההליך התכנוני עד לאישורה.

An automatic summary of the explanatory notes written by the bill's sponsors. These are their arguments, not an official Knesset summary. · The bill on the Knesset website

Readings

What was said in the plenum

The bill seeks to extend by approximately 22 months the validity of the temporary provision establishing National Housing Committees, which shorten residential planning procedures, while simultaneously expanding their authority to address mixed lands (including private ones), initiatives by private citizens, and urban renewal plans, alongside adding a requirement that some of the apartments be designated as small, for rent, or affordable housing. The debate focused mainly on the question of whether the housing obstacle is a planning supply problem justifying a committee-bypass track, and on the fact that in the previous two years not a single affordable or public housing apartment was built under the law, alongside concerns about harm to the environment, democracy, and equality between Jewish and Arab communities. In addition, Amendment No. 100 to the Planning and Building Law was discussed jointly, which allows the establishment of infrastructure facilities without a detailed plan, following the High Court of Justice ruling.

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Hebrew original

הצעת החוק מבקשת להאריך בכ-22 חודשים את תוקף הוראת השעה המקימה ועדות לדיור לאומי (ווד״לים) המקצרות הליכי תכנון למגורים, ובמקביל להרחיב את סמכויותיהן לדון בקרקעות מעורבות (כולל פרטיות), ביוזמות של אזרחים פרטיים ובתוכניות פינוי-בינוי, לצד הוספת חובה שחלק מהדירות ייועדו לדיור קטן, להשכרה או בהשגה. הדיון נסב בעיקר על השאלה אם מכשול הדיור הוא בעיית היצע תכנוני המצדיקה מסלול עוקף-ועדות, ועל כך שבשנתיים הקודמות לא נבנתה כלל דירה אחת בדיור בר-השגה או ציבורי במסגרת החוק, לצד חששות מפגיעה בסביבה, בדמוקרטיה ובשוויון בין יישובים יהודיים לערביים. בנוסף נדון במשולב תיקון מס' 100 לחוק התכנון והבנייה, המאפשר הקמת מתקני תשתית בלא תוכנית מפורטת, בעקבות פסיקת בג״ץ.

Arguments for

  • The National Housing Committees track significantly shortens the approval procedures for large housing plans compared to the cumbersome regular track, and therefore it is important to extend and expand it in order to increase the housing supply and deal with the housing crisis.
    Gideon Sa'ar (Likud Yisrael Beytenu)
  • This time, unlike the previous law, substantive provisions for affordable housing were included in the law (25% small apartments, for rent or at a controlled price), which is a real achievement reached through joint effort by the committee and the government.
    Gideon Sa'ar (Likud Yisrael Beytenu), מירי רגב
  • There is a severe housing shortage, and even unconventional means, not just regular ones, must be used to solve it; an imperfect solution is preferable to no solution at all.
    Gideon Sa'ar (Likud Yisrael Beytenu), Israel Eichler (United Torah Judaism), Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism)
  • The track is not a bypass of planning but a full planning process in a narrower forum, and the expansion to mixed lands and private owners is required in order to allow urban renewal (demolition and reconstruction) projects to also be included in the track.
    Gideon Sa'ar (Likud Yisrael Beytenu)
  • There is no substantive reason to limit the track only to Land Authority lands, since the goal is solely to increase the housing supply regardless of the land owner's identity.
    Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism)

Arguments against

  • Practical experience from the previous two years proves that the law did not lower housing prices and did not lead at all to the construction of affordable housing or public housing (for example, zero apartments at a controlled price, only about 80 rental apartments), and there is no reason to assume that extending it will change this.
    Dov Khenin (Hadash), Tamar Zandberg (Meretz), Merav Michaeli (Labor), Eitan Cabel (Labor), Itzik Shmuli (Labor), Stav Shaffir (Labor), Nachman Shai (Labor), Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), Ahmad Tibi (Ra'am–Ta'al)
  • The housing problem is not a planning supply problem but a demand and policy problem: there is a large planning inventory of approved apartments that have not actually been built because contractors act according to profit considerations, and the law does not require them to actually build what was approved in the fast-track process.
    Dov Khenin (Hadash)
  • The expedited track harms democracy and the public's right to object to plans, harms the environment and open spaces, and grants an advantage to developers and private capital holders (including urban renewal without social balance) at the expense of the general public, especially with the expansion of the track to lands and plans of private entities.
    Dov Khenin (Hadash), Tamar Zandberg (Meretz), Merav Michaeli (Labor), Mohammad Barakeh (Hadash), Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), Ilan Gilon (Meretz)
  • The real solution to the housing crisis requires the state to return to building public housing and rental housing itself on a large scale on public lands, as was done in the past in Israel and as is currently done in countries such as the Netherlands and Germany, rather than settling for fast-tracked planning of private construction.
    Dov Khenin (Hadash), Merav Michaeli (Labor), Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), Ilan Gilon (Meretz), Basel Ghattas (Balad)
  • The law discriminates against the Arab public and the periphery, since almost no apartments were built under it in Arab communities, and the real problems there (infrastructure, unelected regional planning committees, electricity, sewage) are not addressed by this law.
    Dov Khenin (Hadash), Hanna Swaid (Hadash), Basel Ghattas (Balad), Ahmad Tibi (Ra'am–Ta'al)
Who spoke (19)
MemberFactionReadingsSpeechesIn the final vote
Gideon Sa'arLikud Yisrael Beytenu coalitionFirst reading, Third reading21for
Dov KheninHadash oppositionFirst reading, Third reading14against
Israel EichlerUnited Torah Judaism oppositionFirst reading1no record
Tamar ZandbergMeretz oppositionFirst reading2no record
Merav MichaeliLabor oppositionFirst reading, Third reading3against
Eitan CabelLabor oppositionFirst reading3against
מירי רגב (יו"ר ועדת הפנים והגנת הסביבה)—Third reading11—
Mohammad BarakehHadash oppositionThird reading3against
Hanna SwaidHadash oppositionThird reading3no record
Itzik ShmuliLabor oppositionThird reading3against
Shimon SolomonYesh Atid coalitionThird reading1for
Stav ShaffirLabor oppositionThird reading1against
Nachman ShaiLabor oppositionThird reading1against
Nissim ZeevShas oppositionThird reading2for
Yaakov AsherUnited Torah Judaism oppositionThird reading1for
Nitzan HorowitzMeretz oppositionThird reading5against
Ilan GilonMeretz oppositionThird reading2against
Basel GhattasBalad oppositionThird reading3against
Ahmad TibiRa'am–Ta'al oppositionThird reading5against

An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2

Reservations to the second reading

16 reservations were filed: proposed changes to the text the committee brought to the second and third reading.

The reservations are intended to reduce or cancel special arrangements for the national housing plan in evacuation-reconstruction zones, to increase the rates of public housing and affordable housing, to change periods and deadlines in the law, and to bar contractors who failed to meet deadlines from participating in government real estate tenders.

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Hebrew original

ההסתייגויות נועדו לצמצם או לבטל הסדרים מיוחדים לתכנית לדיור לאומי במתחם פינוי ובינוי, להגדיל את שיעורי הדיור הציבורי וההישג יד, לשנות תקופות ומועדים בחוק, ולהגביל קבלנים שלא עמדו בלוחות הזמנים מהשתתפות במכרזי מקרקעין ממשלתיים.

By faction

A joint reservation counts for every faction whose members filed it.

Who proposed what
  • קבוצת חד״ש · 9
    The Hadash group requests reducing or canceling the special provisions for the national housing plan in evacuation-reconstruction zones, increasing the rates of public housing and affordable housing, shortening periods, and canceling sections granting special arrangements to contractors and regarding the law's commencement date.
    Sections: לסעיף 4, לסעיף 9, לסעיף 0, לסעיף 43, לסעיף 42
  • אורלי לוי אבקסיס · 2
    Orly Levy Abekasis proposes ensuring that part of the housing in evacuation-reconstruction zones and in national housing plans will be allocated for public housing.
    Sections: לסעיף 4, לסעיף 9
  • איציק שמולי · 1
    Itzik Shmuli proposes ensuring a minimum allocation for every housing designation and deleting certain subsections.
    Sections: לסעיף 9
  • קבוצת חד״ש וחבר הכנסת איציק שמולי · 1
    The Hadash group and MK Shmuli propose deleting subsections relating to housing rates, or alternatively conditioning any change to them on approval by the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee.
    Sections: לסעיף 9
  • יעקב אשר, נסים זאב ואורלי לוי אבקסיס · 1
    Yaakov Asher, Nissim Zeev, and Orly Levy Abekasis propose provisions regarding affordable rental housing and changing the rates set in the law.
    Sections: לסעיף 9
  • יעקב אשר ונסים זאב · 1
    Yaakov Asher and Nissim Zeev propose changing the rate set in the section relating to housing.
    Sections: לסעיף 0
  • אורלי לוי אבקסיס וקבוצת חד״ש · 1
    Orly Levy Abekasis and the Hadash group propose barring contractors who failed to execute a national housing plan on time from participating in government real estate tenders for ten years.
    Sections: לסעיף 43

Asked to speak: Jamal Zahalka (Balad), Hanin Zoabi (Balad), באסל גאטס

Proposers and reservation numbers are extracted automatically from the committee version, and the count is checked against the numbers printed in it. The descriptions are an automatic summary. Committee version for the second and third reading (PDF)

Reservations, sections and other votes (16)

In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.

Source: bill page in the Knesset legislation database ↗

Planning and Building Procedures Law for Accelerating Residential Construction (temporary provision) (Amendment), 2013 · How the Knesset Votes