HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
Several communities in the Souss-Massa region are witnessing a worrying growth in informal construction, in light of delays in issuing and updating planning documents, which opens the way for unregulated urban expansion, in clear violation of the provisions of Law No. 12.90 on Urban Planning, and Law No. 25.90 concerning real estate subdivisions, housing groups, and the division of properties.
Experts confirm that this delay also contradicts the guidelines framing planning documents, especially master plans and rural development plans, which are prepared by urban agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy, in accordance with circulars and regulatory memoranda aimed at controlling urban expansion, including the joint circular on simplifying building permit procedures in rural areas.
In this context, local actors point out that the absence or delay in approving master plans in a number of rural and semi-urban communities pushes some citizens to construct buildings without legal permits, taking advantage of the regulatory vacuum, which contradicts the provisions of the general building code determined by Decree No. 2.18.577 related to the determination of building regulations in rural areas.
Furthermore, Law No. 66.12 regarding the control and punishment of violations in urban planning and construction emphasizes the necessity of respecting legal procedures and grants the authorities broad powers to intervene in the event of recorded violations, whether by suspending works or demolition.
In parallel, local authorities in a number of areas have launched campaigns to demolish illegal buildings, in an attempt to curb this phenomenon, with intensified monitoring and the taking of punitive measures against violators. However, these interventions remain, according to observers, of limited effect in the absence of accelerating the pace of preparing planning documents and simplifying permit procedures.
Community activists believe that addressing the phenomenon requires adopting a comprehensive approach, based on accelerating the issuance of master plans, activating rural planning documents, simplifying administrative procedures, in addition to providing adequate housing alternatives, and strengthening awareness mechanisms of the dangers of informal construction.
In the meantime, the Souss-Massa region remains facing the challenge of controlling the dynamics of urban expansion, in a way that ensures respect for the law and achieves balanced and sustainable territorial development.
