The Holon H-500 Information Arena

General Background

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The H-500 project is an outline planning scheme in accordance with the Planning and Building Law for South Holon. The area of the project is approximately 4,080 dunams and it is the largest, undeveloped land reserve remaining in Holon. The scheme is bounded in the north by Sderot Yerushalayim and the Kiryat Sharet and Kiryat Pinhas Ayalon neighbourhoods, in the east by Highway no. 4, in the south by the border with the city of Rishon LeZion and in the west by Highway no. 20 (the Ayalon Highway).

 

The scheme (Holon H-500) adapts the land zoning, and the deployment and height of construction, to the restrictions deriving from NOPS 2/4 (the National Outline Planning Scheme for the development of Ben Gurion Airport), which fixed the location of the flight paths adjacent to and above the site of the H-500 scheme. The restrictions deriving from the Airport's activity are expressed in a limit of the final height of the buildings in the project (a maximum of 22 stories), height limits for masts and antennas and also restrictions relating to the erection of cranes during construction. In addition, the use of acoustic elements for noise insulation is prescribed, as are provisions intended to minimise the hazards deriving from flying birds that might endanger passing aircraft.

 

According to the scheme, in the version that has been deposited (Holon H-500), a green area of 1,200 dunams or thereabouts is planned for the development of a metropolitan sand dune park at the centre of the site. The centre of the park, which is called the "preserved heart", will include an area of not less than 400 dunams of natural sand dunes in order to preserve the unique ecology that includes a wide range of rare plants, the like of which is not to be found elsewhere along the coast. The ring around the "preserved heart" will form the outer envelope of the park and will be zoned for municipal recreation and leisure activity.

 

Further to the hearing of oppositions to the deposited version of the scheme (Holon H-500), the district planning and building committee decided to extend the "preserved heart" of the park at the expense of the area for future planning. The 1,500 dwelling units that were allotted in an area for future planning according to the deposited version of the scheme were moved by the district committee's decision to the residential domains, so that their allotment will not be dependent on changes to the Airport flight paths.

 

 

Milestones in the Holon H-500 scheme approval proceedings

 

• Notice of the scheme's preparation and the conditions for the issue of building permits during the interim three-year period according to sections 77 and 78 of the Planning and Building Law was first published in the press on August 10-11, 2006 and in Government Notices no. 5562 of August 2, 2006.

 

• Notice of an extension of the time for the issue of conditional building permits during the interim period, for one year or until the scheme's deposit, according to section 78 of the Planning and Building Law was published in Government Notices no. 6080 of April 28, 2010.

 

• Notice of the scheme's deposit in accordance with section 89 of the Planning and Building Law was published in Government Notices no. 6444 of July 11, 2012.

 

• The decision of the district planning and building committee (the opposition subcommittee) to ratify the Holon H-500 scheme was made on February 18, 2013.

 

• The decision of the appeal subcommittee of the national council to approve the scheme was made on May 14, 2014.

 

• The decision of the district planning and building committee (the opposition subcommittee) to ratify the scheme, subject to technical modifications and transitional provisions to permit the existing uses until the preparation of detailed plans, was made on October 12, 2015.

 

 

Building rights – quantitative data of the Holon H-500 scheme

 

• 1,300 low-rise dwelling units

 

• 12,400 high-rise dwelling units (including 1,500 dwelling units that were moved from the area for future planning that was cancelled in order to increase the size of the sand dune park), of which 2,000 are small dwelling units of 80 m² each, including safe room, for eligible persons.

 

• 13,700 dwelling units in total (including 800 for encouragement and assistance in the elimination of nuisances and the removal of squatters).

 

• 930,000 m² (principal area) for employment of various types, including commercial and multipurpose zoning.

 

• 175,000 m² (principal area) for public buildings.

 

 

The main provisions of the Holon H-500 scheme

 

• A condition for the approval of an initial detailed plan will be the approval of a scheme incorporating division into different domains for consolidation and partition or a plan including such partition as part of, or contemporaneously with, the initial detailed plan ("the domains scheme").

 

• The domains scheme will prescribe the division of building rights between the domains, the conditions for realisation of the rights in each individual domain and provisions for consolidation and partition that will include reference to the division of public areas.

 

• The domains scheme will amongst other things prescribe the area of the park that will be included in the various different detailed plans, with reference to the part of the park located in each domain, provided that complete development of the whole park is ensured.