1,077 Sitra homes handed over as next phases near completion

TDT | Manama

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A total of 1,077 homes have already been handed over in the East Sitra housing project, with allocation based mainly on application date, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has said.

The ministry was replying in writing to a parliamentary question from MP Eman Shuwaiter about how homes are allocated across the project’s phases and what rules are used to choose beneficiaries.

It said the rules used for allocation in housing cities are set out in Decision No. 909 of 2015 on the Housing System, pointing to Article 79. Under that article, applications are ordered mainly by seniority, provided eligibility conditions are met.

The ministry said other factors may also be taken into account, including where the applicant’s parents and grandparents live, the applicant’s current and previous addresses and time spent there as recorded in the Central Informatics Organisation, the location of the project, where the applicant’s spouse’s parents and grandparents live, the preferences recorded in the housing application, and any special circumstances assessed by the minister.

On handovers, the ministry said the first phase was delivered at the start of 2024 and included 1,077 homes. The second phase includes 531 homes and is now being handed over to beneficiaries. The third phase includes 1,269 homes, with allocation expected to begin during 2026, it said.

The ministry added that 563 housing plots within the project have been allocated after the required infrastructure services were provided.

Shuwaiter also asked about older housing applications from Constituency 10 in the Capital Governorate. The ministry said no housing units, ownership apartments or housing plots were allocated for applications dating to 2001. For 2002 applications, it said seven housing units were allocated, with no ownership apartments or plots. For 2003, it said 29 housing units were allocated, again with no ownership apartments or plots. For 2004, it said 64 housing units were allocated, with no ownership apartments or plots.

It said allocation under the option of mortgage support and a financial grant has been completed for all Constituency 10 applicants who chose that route, numbering nine applications. For those seeking a housing plot and mortgage support, it said it has completed 13 cases from the same constituency dating back to 2002, adding that seniority remains the main rule used in allocation.

On the Land and Loan initiative in Hoorat Sanad, the ministry said the project will provide 251 housing plots to meet applications from 2004 and earlier for those seeking the plot-and-mortgage option. It expects allocation and handover to be completed during 2026, after infrastructure works are finished, while procedures continue according to application seniority.

The ministry also pointed to its Government Land Development Rights programme, delivered with private-sector partners, as another way of meeting demand. It said the Suhail housing project in Al Lawzi met 132 applications through housing finance options, followed by Al Naseem in Madinat Salman, meeting 131 applications.

Work is under way on Al Wadi in Al Buhair, covering 76 applications, and Danat Sanad, covering 47 applications, through a pre-booking system launched recently, the ministry said. It added that these projects also serve Constituency 10 as well as nearby constituencies, and that 17 beneficiaries from the tenth Constituency have benefited from projects delivered under the programme.