Here’s a report from our GDN this morning:
Towers ‘invasion of villagers’ privacy’
By MONTHER AL ARRAYEDH
A MUNICIPAL councilor has hit out at “double standards” after permission was granted to build 10-storey tower blocks next to two villages.
The plan has been criticised because the buildings will overlook government houses in Burhama and Sanabis.
Opponents say it is an invasion of privacy, but the Manama Municipal Council has given the plan the go-ahead anyway.
“The problem is that this land is owned by a very powerful man, who bought it based on its current plan,” said Manama Municipal Council member Mohammed Abdulla.
“If we decide to decrease the elevations now it would cost him a lot of money and he might take us to court and win.
“That is why we decided to stick to the plan, although we have encountered similar cases in which we decreased elevations – despite the owners’ disapproval.
“This is proof that we are still suffering from double standards when dealing with our problems.”
The proposal will now go to Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh for final approval.
It was first submitted to the council by the ministry’s physical planning directorate, which has earmarked open land between the villages for buildings ranging from single-storey houses to 10-storey blocks.
“We were faced with a similar problem in Sanabis a few years ago where a six-storey building was built overlooking residential areas,” said Mr Abdulla.
“Here we are allowing 10-storey buildings to be built a few metres away from government houses.
“They allow this on the excuse that the two areas are separated by a road.
“But people in these villages are very religious and they won’t stand for their privacy being invaded by anyone.”
GDN
Blackmail anyone? Anyone?
No? Ok then. There have been riots in Sanabis a while ago against a hotel which opened in the area, no where close to the village proper because, well, it’s a hotel so it must house some “bad people” and will have bars and discos and dens of vice etc. There were also attacks (twice) on a restaurant in Burhama because it served alcohol, and there probably are other incidents which suggest that the villages in Bahrain should be sacrosanct, untouched, and left completely isolated in the name of (you guessed it) religion, morals, the way of life, etc. etc.
And then they complain about the dirth of jobs, not necessarily in the various projects they have demolished around their villages, but in the economy in general.
Now they have received official sanctioning for their actions by officials at the municipality, whose objections have probably democratically been defeated in their boardrooms, but can’t accept this democratic action and take it out to the press and raise their objections publicly through the press. Probably keeping in mind that if they make noises, they will get re-elected.
This issue should have been dealt with through the municipality’s boardroom rather than talking about it in the press to gather public pressure on these “very powerful people” to take their money elsewhere.
There is a bigger problem though that is associated with this. There is quite a large chunk of Bahrain (some say about 85%) which has not been zoned yet, therefore developers go through hoops to get building approvals, a process which takes from months to years as someone related to me recently:
An Gulf investor wanted to plonk down some BD 10 (or so) million to build a high-rise tower in what he thought would be a business area, but after a year of running around trying to get building permits, he took his money and went to Dubai.
The experience there apparently was quite different. At the COUNTER of their municipality they told him to start mobilising his people, engineers and suppliers to start work. They told him that his application is essentially approved, it just requires regular signatures but would definitely not jeopordise his project.
Why?
Isn’t Bahrain and Bahrainis in need of these monies which will produce even temporary job relief to some Bahrainis?
Another problem. Yes even a bigger one. There doesn’t seem to be any laws which are written which could be applied across the board.
All of these situations do nothing for business and the people of Bahrain.
Aren’t these the issues our parliament should concentrate on?
Comments
Re(1): Bahraini villages officially declared mini-Meccahs
Shame about the coral reef that has been destroyed to make space for BFH, oh well, think of all the return Janahi and co will make.
Re(2): Bahraini villages officially declared mini-Meccahs
That’s true, the coral reef around the whole of Bahrain is all but destroyed, and the location of the BFH was the old historic “Furdha” Manama Port. The same will happen to the “Northern Town” which is going to be built on 3 man-made islands north of Barbar and Diraz, the same is happening at Durrat Al-Bahrain in the south of the island, and probably some environment will be affected because of the Al-Areen Spa and of course the Burial Mounds some of which have been razed, although according to the Culture dept at the Minstry of Information that dig was finished with (thus damage is supposed to be limited or the mounds no longer needed) and probably quite a number of other things that have been affected.
Yet, the issue here supports these mega projects. Can you imagine what would happen if a resort like Al-Areen were to be proposed at Diraz? All hell would break loose!
So what are investors to do? Build in the sky? They put up a building 3kms or more away from a village and they get objections, stones, riots and pulled knives at peaceful patrons, they build by reclaiming the sea and they anger others.
Tell me, what’s the way out that would protect both parties’ interests?
Clear laws and regulations, right? Right. Complain to the Parliament and hope that they will do something constructive than continue to kiss ass and waste the parliament’s time with municipal issues. Concentrate on strategy and leave the tactics to the municipal councils.
Bahraini villages officially declared mini-Meccahs
How about building in the south where there is all that empty space, and there arent that many villages there? I can understand why a resort like Durrat Al-Bahrain might need to built on reclaimed land… but does the BFH and the Northern Town have to built in the sea?
Okay,… well the BFH should be close to the rest of business district…
I just feel that the expansion should taking place inland southwards… rather than continuously reshaping the island.
Just thinking aloud…. what do the rest of you think?
Re: Bahraini villages officially declared mini-Meccahs
Cities naturally expand. The south of Manama is now Isa Town!
The south of the island is an environment too that must be protected and studied just as the coastline. A compromise should be found, and even before that, clear laws and regulations and ZONING should be done for the whole island.
Speaking of islands, we have supposedly 33 that make up Bahrain, only 4 are inhabited, why not expand on those and create ferry services to transport people and goods between the others?
Bahraini villages officially declared mini-Meccahs
wow jumping hoops in bahrain ?
i thought that was the national sport in kuwait 😛
anyway , its all about contacts mostly , as a small invistor in a company ( http://www.gfhouse.com ) that oprate in your kingdom , we got to see what project they are doing , and they tell us that its easy
and that they aren’t bothered with and they wouldn’t be able to run a project like Bahrain Financial Harbour if it wasn’t for the co-opration of the government
Re: Bahraini villages officially declared mini-Meccahs
I think this is the case in every country that has unclear laws and regulations, then, it’s the individual who “writes the contract” where every contract is different from the other. Organised chaos that can only be unravelled by using one’s contacts. If we ever reach that stage, government’s cooperation would be a given, rather than something you work hard to get.
The BFH is a landmark project which I am sure the government, investors and the normal Bahraini is taking a lot of pride in and everyone wants to see it succeed. (off-topic: I know Ahmed Abubakr Janahi, the main architect of the project personally and have a lot of respect for his creativity. Even before the BFH you could see what he did with Al-A’ali Mall which I prefer architecturally over Seef any day.)