Nearly one million hectares of land have been designated to implement Morocco’s Green Hydrogen Development Plan, in alignment with the visionary guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, announced Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch on Monday.
During a plenary session at the House of Representatives, focused on urban planning and housing policies and their impact on economic, spatial, and social development, Akhannouch highlighted the significance of this land allocation. He stated that this land would support various integrated projects of the royal initiative, thereby boosting Morocco’s competitiveness in this crucial sector. The government has identified land management as a pivotal tool for advancing this sector.
Akhannouch emphasized that the various incentive measures in housing and urban planning in Morocco would benefit the construction and real estate sectors. These sectors are expected to experience significant growth, thanks to the ambitious programs initiated by the government. These programs aim to restore the attractiveness of the real estate sector, create new job opportunities, and remove obstacles for investors and developers, thus encouraging investment and accelerating housing projects.
To stimulate investment, the government has implemented proactive measures, including the simplification of 22 common procedures and a 45% reduction in the documents required for investment operations. Among these, 50% are related to land mobilization, 33% to building permits, and 45% to operating licenses.
These measures have positively impacted the speed of contract finalizations and investment processes. Akhannouch mentioned the joint decree issued by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing, and City Policy, following the High Royal Directives aimed at simplifying procedures and ensuring citizens can access public services with the required efficiency and promptness.
The decree sets a 30-day deadline for processing requests and issuing authorizations related to subdivisions, housing groups, and parceling, and a 15-day deadline for building permits for “Small Projects.” Akhannouch pointed out that “if the administration remains silent on requests for administrative decisions related to urban planning authorizations issued by municipalities, this is considered approval after the specified deadlines have expired.”
The Prime Minister also announced plans to establish regional urban planning and housing agencies. These institutions will support advanced regionalization in planning and management at the regional level, following the October 2023 session presided over by His Majesty King Mohammed VI. The goal is to ensure coherence in territorial planning, transform urban agencies into centers of expertise, and revitalize the urban planning and housing sector.
Furthermore, Akhannouch addressed the challenges and changes in rural land management and building permit processes. The government has taken several measures, including a joint circular between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of National Territory Planning, Urban Planning, Housing, and City Policy, to simplify the building permit process in rural areas.
This circular led to the demarcation of 1,341 villages covering 21,161 hectares for 559,198 inhabitants within a year, with ongoing demarcation of 439 villages over 7,796 hectares for 235,448 inhabitants.
