Landowners in the town of Gedera are taking the Central District Planning Committee to court over a decision to exclude their property from a major new employment zone, arguing that outdated security restrictions linked to a nearby military base no longer apply.
The employment zone plan is a large-scale initiative in southern Gedera, promoted by government-owned company Dira LeHaskir in cooperation with the local planning committee. It was originally part of the Southern Gedera master plan, which received final approval in 2024 and includes, in addition to the employment area, 900 housing units and a large district park. The employment zone component was later separated from the residential plan at the request of the district committee.
At the early stages of the planning process, the petitioners’ land was included within the plan’s boundaries. It was later removed based on the defense establishment’s position at the time that the land’s proximity to a military base imposed planning limitations.
According to the petition, that position changed during the planning process. The Defense Ministry is said to have formally notified planning authorities that the security restrictions stemming from the base had been lifted and that there was no longer any obstacle to including the land in the plan.
These positions were submitted to planning committees in official documents. Despite this, the petitioners say, the district committee chose to keep the land outside the plan, determining that the security restrictions had no "foreseeable date for removal." The petition argues that this determination directly contradicts the defense establishment’s own position.
'Planning enclave'
The plan forms part of a detailed scheme prepared under Gedera’s master plan, which was approved in 2019 and designated the area for the development of a new employment zone in the south of the city.
Planning documents describe the area as bounded by Route 7 and the railway line to the north, open spaces to the south, and additional planned developments to the east and west. The plan includes large-scale industrial and employment plots, urban logistics, engineering facilities and public spaces, along with land readjustment provisions and allocation for the entire area.
The petition, filed by attorneys Tzvi Shoob and Gilad Shimon, further claims that during discussions the district committee acknowledged that even if it had been clear the security restrictions were lifted, it would not have changed its decision, citing a desire to avoid delaying the planning process.
The petitioners argue this constitutes an improper consideration that prioritizes shortened timelines over fact-based planning and protection of property rights.
Attorney Tzvi ShoobPhoto: Liat MandelThe decision, they add, creates a "planning enclave," a parcel trapped within a planned area that could remain without any planning horizon for years. This, they argue, runs contrary to Gedera’s comprehensive outline plan and the stated goals of the employment zone itself.
The landowners stress that they do not oppose the employment zone and in fact support its advancement, but say there is no justification for excluding their land, particularly after the authority cited as the source of the restriction has said it no longer applies.
The petition asks the court to annul the district committee’s decision, amend the planning documents and reinstate the petitioners’ land within the plan in accordance with its original format.
"When the defense establishment determines that there is no longer a restriction arising from proximity to a military base, there is no justification for excluding land from a plan simply to save time", attorney Tzvi Shoob said. "Fast planning cannot come at the expense of planning truth and property rights."
Strategic location
Separately, the national planning and building committee for priority housing areas is expected this week to hold a roundtable discussion on another Dira LeHaskir plan in Gedera, involving the construction of a new urban district with 8,000 housing units. Spanning about 1,200 dunams, the planning administration has described it as the most significant planning move in the city in decades.
The plan proposes rerouting Route 40 westward, building on Gedera’s master plan, in order to maximize development potential within the city’s municipal boundaries and create uninterrupted planning continuity.
The shift would allow a direct connection between the new neighborhood and the existing urban fabric. The plan also includes employment and commercial areas along major corridors and designated hubs, as well as an employment zone west of the new Route 40 alignment, extending the developing employment area in southern Gedera that is at the center of the petition.
The new plan, prepared by Cohen-Wind Architects, seeks to preserve the existing Mandate-era Tegart fortress on the site, a historic structure that served as a police station during the British Mandate, and convert it into a public building. It also focuses on rehabilitating the Sorek Stream as part of a national ecological corridor.
In response to the petition, the Central District Planning and Building Committee said its position would be presented to the court. Dira LeHaskir said the employment zone plan is intended to strengthen Gedera’s economic resilience and that the company supports the district committee’s decisions.
The Gedera local planning committee said the employment zone has become an attractive area with strategic value and that the district committee rejected the objections to avoid further delays in developing land near a military base.