Serious Irregularities in Urban Planning in the Marrakech Region
A recent report from the General Inspection of Territorial Administration (IGAT) has shed light on alarming irregularities in urban planning within the Tassoultante commune, located on the outskirts of Marrakech. The inspectors have raised concerns about how urban planning permits have been issued in recent years, revealing a troubling pattern marked by unbuilt land, missing connections to essential services, violations of construction regulations, and contested licenses for properties that fall within the public domain. The findings indicate that the region is facing significant pressure on land management, leading to a chaotic urban environment.
Widespread Violations in Urban Permits
The IGAT report points to more than 140 permits issued without the necessary sewage systems, and at least 114 projects approved without access to potable water. Furthermore, auditors have flagged instances where projects were granted based on substitute wells without adequate checks on water quality or health compliance. Altogether, these elements illustrate a governance model where exceptions to regulations have become the norm rather than the exception. Moreover, the report highlights serious breaches in technical planning, with numerous permits issued without the prior validation of technical documentation, including road plans. There have been violations in land use parameters in residential areas, with constructions reaching up to 70% of the land area in certain cases, despite existing regulations that mandate the preservation of significant portions of green and communal spaces. The transformation of residential properties into guesthouses or tourist facilities without clear legal grounds further complicates the situation. The report also notes that some development permits involved buildings constructed irregularly on state-owned land based on non-compliant transfers, which were subsequently used for initiating new construction projects. Over 45 commercial and tourism licenses have reportedly been granted for state-owned properties without meeting all compliance conditions or health approvals. Such irregularities could have cascading effects, leading to revenue loss, normalization of exceptions, and weakening of urban planning frameworks.
On the fiscal front, the lack of a regular annual inventory of unbuilt land has deprived the municipality of significant resources over several fiscal years, undermining one of the few levers available for financing basic infrastructure and maintaining urban discipline. The situation has prompted institutional responses, invoking Article 64 of the Organic Law 113-14 concerning municipalities. This article allows the governor to request written explanations from the former president of the municipal council, Zineb Chala, and potentially refer the case to the administrative court if acts contrary to the law are detected. Although this process does not automatically lead to sanctions, it does initiate an administrative verification phase that could escalate to more serious legal proceedings.
Ultimately, the IGAT report highlights a contested local governance model in which urban planning, taxation, and permit control appear to have been inadequately shielded from arrangements and deviations. The case of Tassoultante raises broader questions about how to safeguard the public interest in peripheral municipalities facing intense real estate pressure, especially as demands for water, sanitation, and land management outpace local oversight capabilities.
As reported by lebrief.ma.
