The Ministry of Construction and Housing is examining a series of steps to streamline construction licensing procedures, with the aim of reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, which is hindering the pace of construction.
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At the initiative of Batsheva Bornstein, a Kiryat Tekhen design and construction expert and a leading expert in the field of green construction, this week the Minister of Construction and Housing, Yitzhak Goldknopf, held a discussion with the participation of the ministry's Director General Yehuda Morgenstern and professional figures, during which Bornstein presented the licensing challenges that hinder the creation of housing solutions, as well as a series of proposals for streamlining construction licensing processes, with special emphasis on green construction projects.
Bornstein noted that from her accumulated experience working with green building laboratories, control institutes, and environmental departments in local authorities, there are duplications that lead to delays and unnecessary costs.
Among other things, it claimed that the green building laboratories and control institutes in Israel operate according to strict regulations, accompany the planning and execution process from its earliest stages, and provide a high level of supervision and control that meets the required environmental and technical requirements.
""These are professional bodies that supervise the quality of construction and that can be completely trusted," said Bornstein.
According to her, "It would be right to promote recognition of the certificates granted by green building laboratories and accredited control institutes as a substitute for separate certificates required by the environmental departments of local authorities. So that instead of the builder submitting the same documents to two different entities, the certificate from one of the bodies would suffice.".
She added: "Many professionals believe that this way it is possible to significantly reduce licensing times and reduce cumbersome processing, while fully maintaining professional standards and safety requirements. The potential for savings and efficiency in this initiative is significant.".
""The green building laboratories and control institutes already perform comprehensive and professional supervision, and recognition of their approvals can shorten processes and allow resources to be focused where they are truly needed. This is a step that can promote and accelerate construction processes in general and green construction in particular in Israel.".
Minister Goldknopf said in the discussion: "I see great importance in listening to factors from the field and in-depth consideration of proposals for improving processes.".
He noted that "although this issue also concerns the powers of other ministries, I will work to promote legislation on the subject together with the relevant parties. The goal is to create an efficient and professional licensing system that will enable the advancement of construction in Israel while maintaining quality and safety.".
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