Court decides in favor of city park

The court rejected the objections of the land owners, who want to build a residential apartment district in the area.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
The Supreme Court has decided that the city of Herzliya has the right to create the large municipal park it wants on the land next to the Shivat Hakochavim shopping mall, reports www.local.co.il. In doing so, the court rejected the objections of the land owners, who want to build a residential apartment district in the area. According to the report, last decade the city announced that it wanted to create a municipal park next to the mall and intended to change the designation of the land from "agricultural" to "open public space." The land owners then asked to be allowed to build a residential district on a 70-dunam section of the land, and, when the city refused, took the matter to the district court. That court decided in the land owners' favor, and allowed the building of 1,400 residential units in 16 towers. The city then appealed to the Supreme Court, saying the district court had exceeded its jurisdiction and had turned itself into a planning body, and that the public interest dictated that the entire area be made a park. A Supreme Court judge has now agreed, saying the city's decision was reasonable and the district court should not have interfered. Mayor Yael German said she was happy with the Supreme Court's decision, which was a victory for environmental quality and nature, and which would benefit future generations. "The Supreme Court decided finally that Herzliya will get the green lung it needs," German said.