Bahrain to revise housing policies
Housing minister says that revision is part of Bahrain’s plans to cope with current housing developments and challenges
Bahrain has said that it will revise its housing policy as part of the government’s efforts to develop an effective, efficient and sustainable housing and land sector, in line with new economic realities.
In a report by BNA, Bassim Bin Yacub Al Hamar, the Kingdom’s housing minister, said that the project was part of the Ministry’s agenda to revise its plans and programmes so as to cope with the current housing developments and challenges.
The housing minister was speaking after a meeting with a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN-Habitat, the report said. The meeting was the first of its kind since the signing of the Bahrain Housing Policy Revision Project between the two organisations and the housing ministry.
Al Hamar highlighted the work plan and timetable for the implementation of the project, which is expected to provide an evidence-based housing policy based on short, medium and long-term action plans. He stressed that the issuance of a new housing policy is one of the priorities of the 2015–2018 Government Action Plan.
He asserted that the housing ministry had provided multiple housing services that had benefitted many social sectors, adding that cooperation with the private sector had yielded urban achievements that covered towns and villages across Bahrain.
The housing ministry also presented its strategic housing plan and shed light on the housing services provided for low-income citizens, as well as its policies and plans to implement housing projects.
After the presentation, the delegation visited a number of housing projects, such as the “Northern City”, the “Halat Bu Mahar” and the “Muharraq” projects, in addition to projects implemented in partnership with the private sector, such as the “Deerat Al Oyoun” project.
The minister commended the efforts exerted by the Office of the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister during the preparation of the documents until its official signing, as well as their follow-up during the period of conducting studies and reviews to update the housing policy.
He underlined the unlimited support of the leadership and the government for the housing issue in the kingdom, highlighting the housing ministry’s plans to achieve long-term sustainability of the housing file, as well as its initiatives in partnership with the private sector, said the BNA report.
