Mateh Yehuda- detailed plan for agricultural buildings and rural tourism

Client: Mateh Yehuda Regional Council
Project Initiation: 2012
Location: Mateh Yehuda
Project Area: Approx. 490,000 dunam
Status: Approved
Program: Rural tourism, agricultural structures and a third unit on the plot, according to the updated National Master Plan 35
Planning Team: Ari Cohen, Eti Efrati-Arie, Ella Zilberfarb-Ben Ezra, Liora Hami-Cohen, Sharom (matar) Arie

The plan’s overall objective is to put Mateh Yehuda on the Israeli tourism map as a “green heartland” – a focal point for tourism, vacationing and recreation in the Tel-Aviv/Jerusalem inter-metropolitan space. The combination of tourism with the production and processing of agricultural produce will serve to bolster the local economy whilst also helping to preserve the open spaces and foster a sense of identity and belonging amongst the local residents.

Specific goals include:

  1. Creating a flexible statutory infrastructure for the development of rural tourism and agriculture.
  2. Preserving high quality soil for agricultural use and protecting it from irreversible alternative land uses; maintaining reserves of choice agricultural soil for future generations.
  3. Expanding agricultural production and processes as a source of local distinction and identity for this area.
  4. Reinforcing and enhancing rural settlements in the area by drawing new residents and developing rural sources of employment and livelihood.
  5. Developing rural tourism and agriculture while protecting open spaces and air quality, with a view towards ecological balance and sustainable development.
  6. Adding a third unit onto the Moshavim’s land, in accordance with National Master Plan 35, 1b.
  7. Creating a mechanism for determining a system that allows splitting a plot from a privately owned land by a division plan according to Chapter D of the law, or by a plan under the authority of the local committee.

Rural tourism policy (see: Master Plan for Tourism Development and Marketing in Mateh Yehuda, 2012):

Rural tourism is a service industry that revolves around agriculture and the agricultural-rural space, and serves as a complement to agriculture. It is characterized by small businesses, generally managed by the plot owners of Moshavim, or by members of Kibbutzim and community settlements in the rural area. The development of rural tourism will, on the one hand, preserve the agricultural character of the region’s open spaces, while, on the other hand, meeting the demand for tourism in this region – including accommodation, recreational activity, education about agriculture and agricultural practices, and hiking in a natural environment. Tourism will also bring various additional benefits, such as: the development of agriculture for tourism, economic and social benefits, a range of additional employment opportunities and sources of income in the rural area – all while maintaining its rural character. Overall, the goal of the rural tourism policy is to increase and enhance the uses of rural entrepreneurialism in family farms, and on the shared lands of Moshavim and other communal settlements.

Distribution of rural tourism structures and agricultural structures:

Open spaces are Mateh Yehuda’s primary tourism resource. Therefore, most of the development of new tourism and agriculture structures will be restricted to the existing settlements. Some few agricultural buildings will be located in open spaces outside settlements, due to environmental, health or veterinary reasons, or due to the lack of another viable alternative.

The plan’s overall objective is to put Mateh Yehuda on the Israeli tourism map as a “green heartland” – a focal point for tourism, vacationing and recreation in the Tel-Aviv/Jerusalem inter-metropolitan space. The combination of tourism with the production and processing of agricultural produce will serve to bolster the local economy whilst also helping to preserve the open spaces and foster a sense of identity and belonging amongst the local residents.

Specific goals include:

  1. Creating a flexible statutory infrastructure for the development of rural tourism and agriculture.
  2. Preserving high quality soil for agricultural use and protecting it from irreversible alternative land uses; maintaining reserves of choice agricultural soil for future generations.
  3. Expanding agricultural production and processes as a source of local distinction and identity for this area.
  4. Reinforcing and enhancing rural settlements in the area by drawing new residents and developing rural sources of employment and livelihood.
  5. Developing rural tourism and agriculture while protecting open spaces and air quality, with a view towards ecological balance and sustainable development.
  6. Adding a third unit onto the Moshavim’s land, in accordance with National Master Plan 35, 1b.
  7. Creating a mechanism for determining a system that allows splitting a plot from a privately owned land by a division plan according to Chapter D of the law, or by a plan under the authority of the local committee.

Rural tourism policy (see: Master Plan for Tourism Development and Marketing in Mateh Yehuda, 2012):

Rural tourism is a service industry that revolves around agriculture and the agricultural-rural space, and serves as a complement to agriculture. It is characterized by small businesses, generally managed by the plot owners of Moshavim, or by members of Kibbutzim and community settlements in the rural area. The development of rural tourism will, on the one hand, preserve the agricultural character of the region’s open spaces, while, on the other hand, meeting the demand for tourism in this region – including accommodation, recreational activity, education about agriculture and agricultural practices, and hiking in a natural environment. Tourism will also bring various additional benefits, such as: the development of agriculture for tourism, economic and social benefits, a range of additional employment opportunities and sources of income in the rural area – all while maintaining its rural character. Overall, the goal of the rural tourism policy is to increase and enhance the uses of rural entrepreneurialism in family farms, and on the shared lands of Moshavim and other communal settlements.

Distribution of rural tourism structures and agricultural structures:

Open spaces are Mateh Yehuda’s primary tourism resource. Therefore, most of the development of new tourism and agriculture structures will be restricted to the existing settlements. Some few agricultural buildings will be located in open spaces outside settlements, due to environmental, health or veterinary reasons, or due to the lack of another viable alternative.

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