Elad
EladFlash 90

The haredi city of Elad is weighing the idea of adding a bylaw legalizing the splitting of apartments into two separate housing units, Kikar Hashabbat reported.

In a recent council meeting, the city discussed how to allow owners to expand their apartments with a minimum of bureaucracy while maintaining the necessary safety requirements.

Elad Mayor Yisrael Porush decided to expedite the approval process for those wishing to add additional rooms to their existing apartments, as well as expand buildings' size to the maximum.

A new city plan included an approximation of how many new apartments can be built in those areas already built up. The result showed that by splitting existing apartments in two, the number of housing units in those areas could be nearly doubled.

Currently, many people build without the required approval and without adhering to safety requirements.

Haredim living in the center of Israel have suffered a housing crisis for many years. In nearby Bnei Brak, a committee approved the construction of 2,000 new housing units, together with a long-term plan which would eventually add 10,000 new housing units.