The board of directors of the Casablanca Urban Agency (AUC), held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of the Minister of the Interior, Mohand Laenser, approved the moral and financial reports for the 2011 financial year, the 2012 budget, and the 2012-2014 action plan, indicates a press release from the agency.

The 2012-2014 plan provides for the continuation of the development of development plans, rehabilitation and upgrading works of the old Medina, the completion of development operations in Nouaceur and Ouled Saleh, the launch of equipment works for the Annasr operation, as well as a call for expressions of interest for the renovation of the Lincoln Hotel (city centre). The agency has begun the development of 34 development plans covering the communes and districts of Greater Casablanca and an area of 121,000 ha, including the Hay Hassani district, approved by decree; five other plans (Ben M’Sik, Sbata, Moulay Rachid districts and the urban commune of Mansouria) submitted to the central commission, seven others (Mohammedia, Dar Bouazza, Sidi Hajjaj Oued Hassar, Sidi Moussa Ben Ali, and Sidi Moussa Majdoub communes) submitted to the local technical committee, and 21 other finalised projects that will be submitted to the approval procedure before the end of 2012.

It also stressed that the Urban Development Master Plan (SDAU), approved in January 2010, opens up new urbanisation zones consisting of housing, activities, and public equipment, which requires a significant amount of time for data collection and consultation with the various stakeholders regarding the options and choices proposed. Regarding urban management, the agency has accelerated the pace of processing applications for building, subdividing, parceling, and creating housing groups, thus resulting in the examination of 6,324 projects, of which 3,893 received a favourable opinion, i.e., 62%, it noted, noting that they covered 570 ha of housing subdivisions, 21 ha of industrial activity subdivisions, and the construction of 62,451 homes, 114 industrial units, and 325 pieces of equipment initiated by the public and private sectors.

Furthermore, the AUC has given priority to social housing through the creation of two one-stop shops, one of which is reserved for authorisation applications for social housing projects (250,000 DH). The 66 projects approved at the end of 2011 should produce 67,448 social housing units, 4,021 medium-standing homes, 1,035 economic housing lots, 84 public facilities, and 54 private facilities.

The second is devoted to processing authorisation applications for the implementation of relocation operations for slum households. In this perspective, 13 projects covering 637 ha were examined, including 11 authorised operations generating 8,659 two-family lots intended for the relocation of 17,318 households. Regarding site control, the agency visited 3,818 sites, including 3,278 not in compliance with regulations, and examined 305 requests that required on-site visits. It also participated in 1,546 committees for occupancy permits and certificates of compliance. As for the provisional acceptance committees for subdivision works, the establishment participated in 300 committees that notably noted the compliance of 106 projects.

For land operations and urban development, the Agency continues to carry out the work of the old Medina rehabilitation project in consultation with the steering committee and the administrative and technical bodies concerned, added Mr. Aouzai. The Agency also continued to carry out urban operations including the Nouaceur and Ouled Saleh hub, and architectural and technical studies for the realisation of the Bouskoura (40 ha) and Annasr (250 ha) operations.

With the aim of affirming the refocusing of the AUC's activities on urban requalification operations, a concerted action is programmed, according to Mr. Aouzai, concerning the problem of the old fabric, in particular housing threatening ruin and whose urgent nature requires the definition of an intervention approach and the implementation of a dedicated institutional tool.

The same applies to neighbourhoods containing architectural heritage that must be safeguarded within a concerted framework bringing together the various public and private actors concerned, he noted, stressing that the accomplishment of these tasks required a readaptation of the AUC's organisational chart and a revision of the status governing its staff as well as the strengthening of its human and material resources.

-* The positive balance of processing authorisation applications shows a 100% increase in the number of housing lots.

-* The number of homes generated by construction and subdivision operations increased by 40%.

-* The number of social homes increased by 40%.

-* The number of facilities increased by 21%.