Major Victory for the Tel Aviv Region with the Approval of Ayalon ParkAyalon Park In The PressAyalon Park FAQ's
Where is Ayalon Park located?
Ayalon Park, an 8,000 dunam open area located between Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Holon and Azur, is the last remaining green lung in the Dan region. It is an island of nature and agriculture between the Ayalon, Geha and Lod highways. At its center is the Hiriya garbage dump, which is to be rehabilitated, and next to it is the Mikveh Yisrael agricultural school. Today it is already possible to enjoy hiking, bicycle riding and horseback riding on paths along the rivers in the park, and to enjoy the stunning view from the top of Hiriya.
Who supports Ayalon Park?
The Prime Minister, Interior Minister, Minister of the Environment, all of Israel’s planning institutions, and 14 mayors in the Tel Aviv area have united into a single body dedicated to promoting the park.
The necessity of the park, the visionary plan and the consensus among decision-makers on the national and local levels brought about the unanimous decision to approve the park plan in Israel’s highest planning institution – the National Planning Committee.
Why Park Ayalon?
Two and a half million people currently live in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
According to predictions, by the end of the next decade more than three million people will live in the most crowded and bustling area in Israel, who will need a place to find refuge from the tumult of the city. This is the last opportunity to offer the residents of metropolitan Tel Aviv a significant open area in the heart of the built urban environment, to which they can escape from the noise, air pollution and traffic jams.
Why is such a large park necessary?
The southern metropolitan area suffers from a lack of public open spaces and flooding of houses in south Tel Aviv.
The residents of the southern Tel Aviv metropolitan area suffer from a severe lack of open spaces. This population is also characterized by a relatively low socio-economic status, which impairs its ability to enjoy the benefits of open areas further away from home. The plan for Ayalon Park will provide residents of the area with a large, green park close to home.
Within the borders of the park is the flood basin of the Shapirim and Ayalon Rivers, which is supposed to prevent flooding in southern Tel Aviv during rainy winters. The Ayalon Park plan includes the deepening of the flood basin in order to prevent the repeated floods and destruction of homes, which currently afflict the local population.
How will the park be funded?
As a national project, resources are being found to fund the development of the park.
The forum of the 14 local mayors for the promotion of the park decided to earmark a portion of the funds that they receive from Mifal Hapayis to the building of the park. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who visited the site of the park in the summer of 2003, has committed himself to promoting a government decision to allocate funds for the creation of the park. The Beracha Foundation has also promised to donate substantial additional resources, and some of these funds have already been given to the park.
Most of Ayalon Park will not be intensively developed. Many parts of the park are designated for minimal development, which will include hiking trails, services for visitors and structures for leisure activities, but will not require a large investment in construction. Even if only part of Ayalon Park is built in the near future, our children and grandchildren will still benefit from the park. Residential building today on the site of the park will bury the chances for this green lung.
Who opposes the park?
Mainly the Hazera Company, the Treasury and the Israel Lands Authority (ILA).
The Hazera Company objects to the Ayalon Park plan and seeks to build 10,000 residential units on land that it leases from the ILA, which is designated for agricultural purposes only. Hazera’s farmland is located in the center of the park, in an area vital for the park because of its contiguity with the existing national park in Ramat Gan.
The approval of massive construction on the Hazera farmland would destroy the plan for a large metropolitan park for Tel Aviv area residents, and will eliminate the last remaining open area in the Dan region. At the same time, a precedent would be created for other bodies that lease farmland from the ILA in the park site, who would demand similar benefits.
The new Tel Aviv Regional Master Plan designates the entire area as an open, public space for the benefit of the residents of the metropolitan area, while setting aside other areas for residential and commercial construction. There is no planning justification for the construction of a new neighborhood in this area. Residential building plans must be concentrated in South Tel Aviv, and should contribute to the rehabilitation of poor neighborhoods.
For more information about Ayalon Park, or to support the campaign, send us an email at: tlv2@spni.org.il
