MPs push for long-delayed Buri housing project as backlog grows

TDT | Manama

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An urgent proposal calling on the government to add a housing project for Buri residents to the village’s detailed master plan has been submitted to Parliament.

The sponsors cited a long backlog of housing applications and noted that no new housing scheme has been introduced in the area since 2016.

The request asks for the plan to be amended while work on the design is still under way.

Backers

The backers say the detailed plan covers more than 65 per cent of Buri, and they want a housing scheme written into it for local families.

The proposal was submitted by MPs Dr Muneer Seroor, Mohammed Al Ahmed, Hassan Ebrahim, Ali Al Nuaimi and Basema Mubarak.

They asked that it be placed on the agenda under new business, approved by the Council, and then sent to the government.

Memorandum

In an accompanying memorandum, the sponsors said the government is preparing a large redevelopment plan for Buri built around several tracks, including transport links.

They said it includes the main station for the Bahrain Metro and a national public transport network, along with an urban and cultural route, farming and natural areas, and land for public uses such as housing, health, logistics, education and cultural facilities.

They said the project is planned over roughly 5,000 square metres, but does not include a housing scheme reserved for Buri residents.

Applications

The sponsors cited 215 applications recorded by the village’s community committee from people who registered their details, with some cases dating back more than 23 years. They also said Buri has not had a housing project for around a decade, with the last scheme delivered in 2016 and limited to 21 units.

In remarks attached to the proposal, MP Seroor put the number of housing requests at more than 275.

Investors

The sponsors said the master plan classifies land near the village for residential use, which they said would be open to investors and buyers regardless of where they live, unless a portion is set aside for Buri residents through the plan.

MP Seroor described Buri as a place with farmers, historic freshwater springs and old mosques, and said the redevelopment plan shown so far lacked a housing project for local people.

Partner

He said adding one would “complete the new planning and make the citizen a true partner in development”.

The proposal also suggests that building a housing scheme may be easier now that land has been acquired for the master plan, and says the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning could work with the private sector to deliver it.