Engineer Balsam Ali Salman, Assistant Undersecretary for Engineering Affairs, Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, stressed the importance of guided by the standards and regulatory requirements in the areas of housing projects to reduce irregularities related to the expansion of housing units as well as construction in residential voucher projects, in order to preserve the quality and sustainability of housing units and the architectural and civilizational character of cities and housing projects.
The Salman engineer said that Decree No. 899 of 2024 on regulatory requirements in the areas of housing projects issued last August providing flexibility for beneficiaries to increase the size of housing units according to legal frameworks, Noting that the requirements introduced took into account observations and proposals from citizens and municipal councils It also takes into account its provisions to provide the necessary remedies for repeated construction irregularities, noting that citizens wishing to expand housing units can be guided by the requirements and illustrations published in the guide to avoid irregularities.
At the level of citizens who are willing to build units on the residential vouchers they have benefited from Guide ", the Guide provides the necessary assistance for the identification of building controls, For example, the construction rate shall not exceed 50% of the flat of the single floor construction which is calculated from the height of the building, defining the dimensions of the parking lots in proportion to the regulated requirements as well as avoid opening car entrances in vouchers overlooking the main roads, The construction of more than one housing unit in the same property is permitted only with prior planning approval.
Regarding the division procedures, engineer Balsam al-Salman explained that the beneficiaries must submit the division requests through the electronic service available via the Planning and Urban Development Authority's website before starting construction and partition work. These procedures are carried out in coordination between the Ministry and the Authority according to the type of scheme or housing voucher and location.
The Salman touched on the most significant amendments that would contribute to reducing construction irregularities including allowing the front bounce space to be reduced to two metres for a number of unit types, Elimination of the requirement of fifteen years since the housing unit's receipt of major construction alterations and permit construction of two floors above the garage for housing units, and one floor for residential vouchers and give more flexibility in allowing parking, and allowing the construction of the outright role and council.
For its part, the Director General of the Municipality of the Northern Region, Mia al-Fadhala, emphasized the importance of prior licensing when expanding the housing unit, especially since the law allows construction from the beginning of the unit's receipt, in accordance with the new requirements for construction in housing projects.
Al-Fadhala stressed the importance of beneficiaries' adherence to the requirements of the construction boundaries, in order to preserve the cultural appearance of housing projects and the new cities of Bahrain in order to preserve the sustainability of housing areas, and the safety of beneficiaries of the service of housing units and to avoid irregularities that may harm the architectural facades of residential projects.
Al-Fadhalah explained that the requirements allow the expansion of units without compromising the unit's integrity or damaging the perception of public fronts of projects, which is aimed at achieving the principle of the upgrading of housing units.
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