Is it permissible for the Imam to intend to combine prayers (Jam') due to light or heavy rain, given that the prayer area is close to houses and the roads are paved, and there is no permanent Imam?

The rain that permits combining prayers is that which causes discomfort by wetting clothes, not light rain that causes no harm. The fact that the road is paved does not prevent the validity of combining prayers due to rain, for the criterion is the occurrence of hardship and discomfort. Ibn Abbas affirmed the legitimacy of combining prayers due to rain, and Sheikh al-Islam mentioned that combining prayers for this reason is more appropriate than praying in homes, and this is what the practice of the predecessors (Salaf) was based upon. Therefore, there is no impediment to combining the two prayers due to rain in the prayer area if the condition is met.