The party is over? Court cancels permits for placing tables and chairs at night on the road on Nahalat Binyamin in Tel Aviv
The Tel Aviv Administrative Affairs Court canceled the permits for placing tables and chairs at night on the road on Nahalat Binyamin Street, ruling that the municipality exceeded its authority. The existing permits will expire within six months.
The Tel Aviv Administrative Affairs Court canceled the Tel Aviv Municipality's policy that allowed placing tables and chairs at night on the road and across the full width of the sidewalks on a section of Nahalat Binyamin Street, between Kalisher and Montefiore streets. Judge Limor Bibi ruled that the municipality exceeded its authority by turning a road intended for passage into a leisure and recreation area, without conducting a statutory planning process that includes transparency and public participation. The ruling was issued following a petition filed by a resident and property owner on the street, represented by attorney Yuval Galon. The court partially accepted the petition: the existing permits will expire within six months or on their original expiration date, whichever is earlier, and the municipality is prohibited from issuing new permits or renewing existing ones without an appropriate planning process. However, the court rejected the claims against blocking the street to vehicle traffic in the evening hours and the policy allowing businesses to operate at night. The municipality was ordered to pay legal costs of 10,000 shekels. Attorney Galon noted that the ruling is expected to generate a wave of similar petitions.