River authority loses case against storage areas

The Haifa District Court has rejected an appeal by the Kishon River Authority against plans to build increased storage areas at the port.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY
The Haifa District Court has rejected an appeal by the Kishon River Authority against plans to build increased storage areas at the port, reports Yediot Haifa. The court said it was rejecting the appeal because the authority had acted too late and building work was already in full swing, and the interests of the Israel Ports Company had to override the environmental interests of the authority. According to the report, the authority recently appealed against a decision by the local planning and construction committee, made in May this year, to allow the Israel Ports Company to construct buildings and storage areas for shipping containers. The authority argued that the decision was in breach of laws dictating that no building work could be done within 100 meters of the river's banks. But a district court judge decided that the authority had waited too long to try to stop the work, and the company had already invested considerable funds and resources in it. A lawyer for the authority said the body was "disappointed that the court chose to base its decision on technical arguments and did not give any weight to quality of the environment." An Israel Ports Company spokesman said the company would continue creating "vital infrastructure that serves the Israeli economy and the public in general, with care for preserving the environment, as it has done until now."