Building the new village in the Arava
Building the new village in the AravaPress Release

The National Planning and Building Committee approved a new village in southern Israel named Ir Ovot.

This approval comes three months after the approval of the Sub-Committee and is the final stage in the planning process.

The plan for the establishment of the town of Ir Ovot is based on a government decision dating back to 1979. The District Committee decided to recognize Ir Ovot for the purpose of expanding a new rural community throughout the central Arava in order to boost the region's Jewish population.

Tuesday's debate was held following the approval of the District Committee and the Sub-Committee and as a last step for the final and formal approval of the establishment of the new community settlement in the Arava.

During the discussion, a presentation was offered that showed the environmental impact of a new village. According to the approval given by the committee, the new settlement will include 500 families and will be spread over a wide area of some 1,100 dunams.

The work will commence within the next few weeks in conjunction with the JNF and is part of a project intending to bring the number of residents in the area from 4,000 to 15,000.