After several years of waiting, the western part of Marrakech finally has an officially approved development plan.
Decree No. 2.26.155, signed on 24 March 2026 and published in the Official Gazette on 2 April, approves the development plan and regulations covering Western Marrakech and M’Hamid Sud. The document is therefore now enforceable. It is no longer merely a study or a draft submitted for consultation.
The area covers the Ménara arrondissement and the western part of Guéliz. It includes M’Hamid, Al Massira, Azli, Targa, Azzouzia and Koudiat Laabid, over an estimated area of approximately 9,000 hectares, representing nearly 40% of Marrakech’s municipal territory.
For residents, landowners and investors, the adoption of this plan is significant. It provides a more precise framework for construction possibilities, the organisation of public facilities, future transport routes and the designated use of the various sectors.
However, it does not mean that all announced projects will begin immediately, nor that the value of all land in western Marrakech will automatically increase.
Why had this plan been awaited for so long?
Until now, a large part of Western Marrakech had been developing without a recent and fully enforceable planning document.
This situation complicated the assessment of certain projects, particularly planning permission applications, subdivision authorisations, renovation projects and changes of use.
When an area lacks a clear framework, owners and investors find it difficult to know what will be permitted in the medium term. Decisions take longer, projects are more uncertain and opportunities for adding value are harder to assess.
The new plan now establishes a regulatory framework for the administrations responsible for reviewing applications. It also schedules the major infrastructure and public facilities required for the future development of this part of the city.
The public inquiry was held between 12 May and 11 June 2025. Residents and affected owners were then able to consult the draft and submit their observations to the municipality.
Eight urban projects to reorganise western Marrakech
The plan is not limited to determining permitted building heights or types. It provides for eight major urban projects intended to support the city’s expansion.
Azzouzia and the new north-western gateway
The first project concerns the Azzouzia sector, at the entrance to Marrakech from Tamensourt.
It is intended to support the rehousing operations linked to Camp Tachfine and strengthen urban planning around the new bus station.
The project also provides for improved integration with future transport modes, particularly the bus rapid transit system and the railway infrastructure planned for western Marrakech.
The aim is to create a genuine gateway to the city, rather than a succession of residential projects developed without overall coherence.
The expansion of Targa
Targa is among the sectors most directly affected.
The project provides for the use of public land to accommodate new facilities, services and mobility infrastructure. Part of the land is to be reserved for major public or private facilities linked to transport and intermodality.
The sector could in particular be structured around Azzouzia bus station, a future transport interchange, bus rapid transit lines and a possible LGV station.
However, the term “future LGV station” should be used with caution. Its presence in a planning document does not necessarily mean that the construction timetable, funding or final specifications have already been decided.
The plan reserves and organises possibilities. It does not replace the operational decisions that will have to be taken by the relevant authorities and operators.
An activity zone in Tidili
At the western entrance to Marrakech, on the Essaouira road, the Tidili project is intended to accommodate tertiary activities, small-scale industries and certain activities currently carried out informally or poorly integrated into the urban fabric.
Residential use would be excluded in the sectors specifically reserved for economic activities.
The aim is in particular to relocate certain nuisance-causing activities or those incompatible with residential areas, while creating an organised framework for businesses and small professional enterprises.
This distinction will be important for land buyers. A plot located in a developing area is not necessarily intended for residential construction. Its designated use may be industrial, logistical, commercial or reserved for a facility.
M’Hamid Ouest set to become a new economic hub
To the west of M’Hamid, the plan provides for the creation of an economic zone intended to accommodate industrial and logistical activities, as well as major infrastructure facilities.
The project is intended to meet two objectives: to develop employment in this part of Marrakech and to better control urban sprawl.
M’Hamid has developed considerably in recent years, sometimes more rapidly than its infrastructure. The challenge now is to prevent the continued expansion of housing without sufficient facilities, economic activities or a clear organisation of travel.
The new zoning should enable residential sectors to be separated more precisely from activity zones and land reserved for major infrastructure.
For property, this development may have different effects depending on the exact location.
Land located near a new economic zone may benefit from improved accessibility and increased activity. It may also be exposed to more traffic, noise or constraints associated with professional uses.
Proximity to a major project is therefore not always a residential advantage. It all depends on the nature of the project and the designated use of the property.
A green belt around the airport
The plan also provides for a green corridor intended to create a buffer zone around Marrakech-Ménara Airport.
This area is primarily intended to accommodate outdoor activities, promenades and certain car parks, with significant restrictions on new construction.
The aim is to maintain a separation between built-up areas and the airport, reduce urban pressure and preserve landscape continuity in a part of the city subject to strong demand for land.
The new plan would include a total of 466 green spaces, covering approximately one hundred hectares. The largest planned space, located near Koudiat Laabid, would exceed 131,000 m².
Here again, a distinction must be made between a green space included in a planning document and a park that has already been developed.
The designation protects or reserves land for future use. Its actual development then depends on land acquisitions, budgets, technical studies and the works timetable.
Camp Tachfine: a strategic sector near Guéliz
The Camp Tachfine site represents one of the plan’s most significant projects.
This extensive area of approximately 260 hectares currently accommodates military facilities that are due to be relocated. The plan envisages the development of new infrastructure, services, hotel facilities and a large urban park on the site.
Its location, close to central Marrakech and Guéliz, gives it considerable potential.
However, the project depends on several complex stages: relocating the existing facilities, freeing up the land, carrying out studies, planning the facilities and launching property development operations.
It would therefore be misleading to present Camp Tachfine as a new neighbourhood already available for investment. It is a major urban planning direction, but its development will necessarily be gradual.
Koudiat Laabid: accommodating property pressure without altering the character of the site
The Koudiat Laabid area is experiencing strong land and property pressure.
The plan provides for greater mixed use, combining housing, shops, services, leisure facilities and public amenities, while taking account of the area’s natural topography and distinctive landscape characteristics.
Large-scale construction likely to alter the hills or create excessive density should, in principle, be limited. Buffer zones are also planned between built-up areas and the natural terrain.
This approach may enhance the area’s appeal, but it may also impose more significant construction constraints.
A plot offering a beautiful view or distinctive topography is not necessarily fully developable. Slopes, protected areas and landscaping regulations may reduce the area that can actually be used.
A buffer zone near the Oued Tensift
To the north of the city, the plan provides for a buffer zone between Marrakech’s urban development and the natural areas surrounding the Oued Tensift.
Some of the land is to remain planted, particularly along the ring road. The project also provides for the integration of certain economic activities and the rehousing on site of residents currently living in unauthorised areas.
The aim is to prevent the city’s expansion from continuing without limit into the natural areas to the north.
For owners, this designation may have very tangible consequences. A green belt, a planned road or a public facility may cross a plot and significantly alter its development potential.
What does approval change for owners?
The plan is now legally enforceable.
This means that planning, subdivision and development permissions must comply with its zoning and regulations. A plot cannot be developed solely according to its owner’s wishes.
Its designated use, density, height, required setbacks and planned facilities must be checked against the official documents.
The decree also constitutes a declaration of public utility for land required to deliver certain facilities provided for by the plan.
Under Article 28 of Law No. 12-90 on urban planning, the effects of this declaration of public utility apply for ten years from publication of the approval text in the Official Bulletin.
In practical terms, land may be partially or entirely reserved for a road, school, green space or another community facility.
This does not mean that all the plots concerned will be immediately expropriated. However, it may limit development opportunities and alter their value or use during the period in which the plan is in force.
What a buyer should check before investing
The new plan makes the rules clearer, but it does not remove the need for a detailed assessment of each plot or project.
Before buying in Marrakech Ouest, several points must be checked:
- the plot’s exact location on the plan;
- its planning designation;
- the permitted buildings and activities;
- the possible height and density;
- any planned access or widening roads;
- reserved green spaces and public facilities;
- any easements;
- the actual developable area;
- whether any previous permit or authorisation exists;
- whether the proposed project is compatible with the new regulations.
This information should be obtained from the Urban Agency, the commune, the notary and, depending on the project, an architect or consultancy firm.
A description such as ‘area undergoing rapid development’ in a property listing is not a sufficient guarantee.
Will prices rise in Targa, M’Hamid or Azzouzia?
The adoption of the plan may improve the visibility of certain areas and unlock projects that had previously been difficult to authorise.
The planning of new roads, transport links, parks and activity zones may also enhance the attractiveness of certain locations.
However, no general rise in prices can be guaranteed.
Future value will depend on the effective delivery of infrastructure, the quality of projects, timescales, demand and the quantity of new homes or plots brought to the market.
A development plan may even reduce the value of certain plots when it reveals an easement, a future road, a non-developable area or the proximity of an activity that is poorly suited to residential use.
The effects must therefore be assessed plot by plot, rather than neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
An urban framework, not a property promise
The approval of the Marrakech Ouest and M’Hamid Sud plan represents an important step for the city.
It brings a long period of regulatory uncertainty to an end and provides clearer direction for the development of areas that will account for a significant proportion of Marrakech’s future expansion.
However, this document remains a planning framework.
It defines what may be built, what must be preserved and which facilities are to be planned. It guarantees neither their immediate delivery nor the profitability of an investment.
For buyers and owners, the real novelty is above all this one: projects can now be assessed on the basis of more precise rules. However, those rules must be read before making a commitment.
This article presents the information available on the date of its publication. The status of a plot of land or a property development project must be verified on the basis of the approved plan, its regulations and the information provided by the relevant authorities.
Sources
- Official Bulletin No. 7496 of 2 April 2026 – Decree No. 2.26.155
- Marrakech Municipality – Public inquiry into the Marrakech Ouest and M’Hamid Sud plan
- Marrakech Urban Agency – Consultation on the development plan
- Médias24 – Approval of the Marrakech Ouest and M’Hamid Sud development plan
- Médias24 – The eight urban projects planned under the new plan
- Law No. 12-90 relating to urban planning
