Israel’s Land Authority (ILA) will present tomorrow (Thursday) a plan for a major new residential district in northeast Kiryat Gat to the National Committee for Priority Housing Areas (VATMAL). The project, which rezones agricultural land, includes nearly 10,000 homes, close to 790,000 sqm of commercial and employment space, public buildings, and a large park. But while the city welcomes the Kiryat Gat expansion plan, neighboring regional councils strongly oppose it, warning of a “horse theft” that threatens Israel’s food security.
By Dror Nir Castel, Nadlan Center
The plan proposes approximately 9,600 housing units and an additional 400 units for special housing, alongside retail and employment areas, new road links to national and local highways, public facilities, the Lachish Stream Park, and open spaces. The area covers 2,456 dunams east of the Carmei Gat neighborhood, south of Highway 353, north of Highway 35, and east of the Tel Aviv–Be’er Sheva rail line.
According to the explanatory notes: “The planned neighborhood, east of Carmei Gat, includes approximately 10,000 housing units and constitutes a new urban district. It extends the city eastward across the railway, adds new entrances to the city, and proposes additional connections to Highway 35 and Highway 6, as well as a northern link to Highway 353. Five new road and bridge connections will link the neighborhood to Carmei Gat.”
The plan also provides for roughly 790,000 sqm of commercial and employment space. However, national infrastructure already on site – including high-voltage power lines and a wastewater reservoir – will need to be relocated before development can proceed. The Lachish Stream runs through the southern section of the site and will be preserved as an open green corridor. Public services will include daycare centers, kindergartens, and community facilities. The plan was designed by architect Assaf Armon of Armon Architects and Urban Planners.
Horse Theft That Hurts Everyone
The plan changes the zoning from agricultural use, partly at the expense of Kibbutz Gat lands under the Yoav Regional Council, which strongly objects. The Be’er Tuvia Regional Council has also voiced opposition.
Yoav Council head Nati Lerner stated: “The conflict between urbanization and open rural space is nothing new. No one can produce fodder or milk without cultivated land. We must balance housing needs with food security. The war in Ukraine showed what a grain shortage looks like. The VATMAL was meant as an emergency tool, but it’s now being used politically. They are trying to take 3,000 dunams from Kibbutz Gat, though officially beginning with 1,070 dunams. Relocating the infrastructure will cost billions during wartime. This is a shortcut – a ‘horse theft’ – that will hurt the entire country. Instead of expanding outward, they should focus on urban renewal in Kiryat Gat and supporting weaker populations.”
Be’er Tuvia Council head Ben Cohen added: “Despite VATMAL’s failures in solving the housing crisis, the Housing Ministry continues to promote this heavy-handed, undemocratic tool. Now Yoav loses farmland, and soon it will be Be’er Tuvia, then every other local council. This undermines the state’s food security, all for the sake of rushed, shortsighted construction serving narrow interests.”
In contrast, Kiryat Gat Mayor Kfir Swisa welcomed the initiative: “I thank the committee for advancing the preliminary discussion of TAML 1130 – East Kiryat Gat. This plan is part of a historic umbrella agreement that will soon be signed, under which approximately 21,000 new homes are to be built in East Carmei Gat. The process is significant, and I am confident it will be conducted in a spirit of cooperation and with a holistic view of the city’s future. The plan will ensure advanced transportation systems, educational institutions, public spaces, employment zones, and modern infrastructure.”
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