The Marker, Adi Cohen, 25.03.2020
A few days after the government decided to exempt the construction industry from the manpower restrictions to enable its regular operations, many mayors in the demand areas are leaving to continue the activities of the TMA 38 entrepreneurs.
Some, such as the heads of Kiryat Ono and Ramat Gan, have already approached the government and the planning administration with a demand to reduce or freeze construction work.Others, including mayors Bat Yam, Ra'anana, and Tel Aviv, have asked contractors to reduce the scope of activity in residential areas.
Last week, Kiryat Ono Mayor Israel Gal addressed a poignant letter to the Ministry of Finance and the Planning Administration demanding a freeze on construction work on TAMA 38 projects until the crisis ended. "Because of the closure that most of the nation's citizens, in addition to the natural pressure exerted by the Corona virus, has now also encountered problems of air pollution and incessant noise," Gal wrote in his letter. He later sought to "urgently exempt TAMA projects from defining construction sites as essential establishments... Homeowners are exposed to many workers and are at risk of being exposed to the virus. People remain imprisoned within a construction site."
"Residents' quality of life first and foremost"
Kiryat Ono, as mentioned, is not a solitary voice. TheMarker test shows that other cities share similar readings - including Bat Yam, Raanana and Ramat Gan. Zvika Brut, Mayor of Bat Yam, addressed the issue, saying that "in recent days, many construction work is taking place near their homesthroughout the day - due to the heavy noise and dust.
"As a first step, the engineering department is in contact with all the developers who work in the city, and asks them to take a gear. We are investigating the issue legally to understand what can be done. We do not want to harm entrepreneurs who have commitments and schedules, but the quality of life of the residents first and foremost ".
The Tel Aviv municipality says construction activity in the city will continue according to the guidelines, but "out of consideration for the residents, the municipality endeavors to reduce the number of night permits on construction sites, initiates telephone calls to construction sites and asks the managers to coordinate quiet work between 14: 00-16: 00" . City councils add that "the current crisis has created a rare opportunity to accelerate construction processes, as the drastic reduction in traffic and pedestrian traffic in the city allows acceleration of infrastructure work and major projects."
Urban renewal venture Photo: Emil Salman
Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama HaCohen, who was in a collision course with TAMA developers 38 last year around his decision to halt urban renewal projects in his city, noted that he has already made an appeal on the matter. He said, "The engineering department was instructed not to approve new construction in the city and approached the government. Granting authorities authority to change or suspend permit conditions already granted in the past ”.
The Ra'anana Municipality stated that they intend to request projects and contractors to reduce the work to the minimum necessary and to avoid any nuisance work these days. Haim Broida, Ra'anana's mayor, addressed the issue, saying that he intends to support a government that will legally permit the stopping or reduction of construction work on TAMA 38 projects, but that he does not currently have the authority to stop projects. 'As long as the central government forbids it - I can't come to the contractor and tell him to stop working. In the meantime, I contacted entrepreneurs independently and asked them to try to work on jobs that were less of a nuisance to neighbors. "
"Break will roll into house prices"
Harel Peretz, vice president of urban renewal at the Gabay Group, responded to the call by mayors, saying: "The freeze of the GDPR will put people out of the labor market at an hour of difficulty the entire economy is experiencing. In addition, such a step would cause project delays and damage to entrepreneurs, There are current and ongoing expenses - which do not increase as soon as the work is stopped - in the end, it will also fall in house prices , and will hurt both entrepreneurs and the labor market, which has also suffered a severe blow. "Peretz added:" Obviously people staying at home experience construction as a nuisance, but at Such that the construction industry is one of the few that continue to operate and function, I think the state's goodness exceeds the nuisances As".
Yossi Hasson of the Structural Reinforcement Society said: "The government has devastated the construction industry because of its paramount importance. Obviously there is some discomfort - but it is important these days to do everything possible, certainly whether killed or prioritized.The consequences of stopping will be fatal. "
The Construction Builders Association said in response: "The construction sector has been declared by the government as a vital sector for the economy and therefore it is determined that it will be able to continue operating these days. However, construction work in TAMA 38 in addition to an existing building is being carried out as part of business agreements between building residents and developers. Therefore, wherever the tenants choose to stop construction, they can do so within the framework of the agreement. In our opinion it is wrong to stop construction for two reasons: the safety risk of leaving a site where the works are not completed. In addition, the anticipated delay in each site where they stop the work, and the economic significance of the work stoppage. You also need to understand that getting back to work on sites that stop them from working will take some time and be late. "
The Ministry of Finance said in response: "The construction industry has been expanded and declared essential for the economy and therefore continues its operations as a routine."