Municipal Technical Committee Approves Using Road Reserves and Government Lands as Temporary Parking Lots

The Chairperson of the Technical Committee at the Municipal Council, Engineer Manira Jasem Al-Amir, confirmed that the committee resumed its work following the holiday break and the council’s return to sessions, by reviewing several files and transactions of technical and regulatory importance. She noted that the committee addressed the issues presented to it in accordance with studies and technical responses from competent authorities, aiming to serve the public interest and preserve the integrity of urban planning, services, and infrastructure in the State of Kuwait.

Al-Amir clarified that during its meeting, the committee discussed ten major transactions. These included files related to infrastructure and sewage, the re-allocation of sites for the Kuwait Public Transport Company, and the expansion of the Salma border crossing. Additionally, a strategic file concerning the support of land-based treatment facilities for the Al-Durra offshore field project was reviewed. Other matters included a request to add floors to the parking building in the Sharq area, a request to reorganize a plot in Hawalli, a request to utilize vacant lands designated for government entities as temporary parking lots, and a request to regulate and utilize sites within road rights-of-way as parking areas.

Regarding the request by the Ministry of Public Works to allocate a sewage path to connect a sewage pumping station with the end of an existing path within the South Sabah Al-Ahmed residential city (N11), Al-Amir stated that the committee approved the request for a path approximately 1,900 meters long and 10 meters wide.

She explained that the approval came with several conditions, including compliance with the stipulations outlined in the responses of the Sub-Committee for Utilities and Public Services and coordination with them prior to implementation. Furthermore, a comprehensive study assessing the environmental and social impact of the project, endorsed by the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs, must be submitted.

Al-Amir added that the committee also conditioned the approval on fixing the site location, given the existence of the Green Belt project, for which the Municipal Council had issued a decision. Competent departments were authorized to make any necessary shifts or adjustments to the path’s lengths and coordinates, provided such changes do not exceed the approved length in cases of conflict with existing infrastructure services or for regulatory reasons.

Al-Amir noted that the committee also approved the Ministry of Finance’s request to re-allocate sites belonging to the Kuwait Public Transport Company at the Shuwaikh Garage and Abdullah Port from the Public Authority for Industry to the Ministry of Finance, in accordance with the relevant Cabinet of Ministers decision.

According to the transaction, the sites include the Abdullah Port Garage, covering an area of 200,000 square meters, and the Shuwaikh Garage, covering 67,279.5 square meters. Competent departments were authorized to make necessary regulatory adjustments to the dimensions and areas of the sites, provided they do not exceed the allocated areas in cases of conflict with infrastructure services or for regulatory reasons, and to cancel any previous decisions contradicting this.

In another file, Al-Amir revealed that the Technical Committee approved the General Customs Administration’s request to expand the Salma border crossing site by an additional area of approximately one million square meters.

She clarified that the total area of the site after expansion will reach approximately 2,339,132 square meters. The expansion will be utilized for dry and wet storage areas, shaded and open storage zones, and additional services for the crossing, consistent with the government use of the site.

Al-Amir emphasized that the approval required the submission of a comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment study prior to implementation, compliance with the stipulations of the Sub-Committee for Utilities and Public Services, and coordination with them before execution. It also allowed competent departments to make necessary regulatory adjustments without exceeding the allocated areas.

She clarified that the site covers an area of 2.5 million square meters, and that approval for its re-allocation was granted after receiving consents from relevant authorities, including the Petrochemical Industries Company, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, and the Ministry of Oil. She highlighted the importance of the Al-Durra field development project and its vital impact and benefits for the country, as noted in the official correspondence.

She emphasized that the approval included adherence to the conditions set by the Sub-Committee for Utilities and Public Services, requiring coordination with them prior to implementation. Competent departments were authorized to make necessary adjustments to the site’s dimensions and area, provided they do not exceed the allocated area, in cases of conflicts with infrastructure services or for regulatory reasons.

Princess also confirmed that the committee did not approve the request by Al-Hamra Real Estate Company to add two floors to the multi-story parking building in the East area, Plot 8.

She explained that the technical study revealed that adding the two floors would raise the building to include two basements, a ground floor, nine repetitive upper floors, and roof-covered parking, which violates the current standards and specifications enforced by the Kuwait Municipality for multi-story parking buildings.

The head of the Technical Committee also announced the rejection of the request to reorganize Plot No. 10 within Plot 87 in the Hawalli area. She clarified that the study showed the plot in question is state-owned and located within an area designated for residential and investment use.

She noted that the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the State Properties Administration at the Ministry of Finance, as it is the competent authority for evaluating land and offering it for public auction in accordance with the law referenced in the correspondence. Consequently, the technical opinion concluded with non-approval of the request.

Engineer Munira Al-Amir stressed that the Technical Committee continues to fulfill its role by carefully studying referred issues, relying on technical studies and responses from competent departments and authorities, while balancing support for priority projects and services with adherence to regulatory and environmental requirements and protection of existing infrastructure.

In line with the committee’s direction to support practical solutions for the shortage of parking spaces and to reduce traffic congestion, Engineer Munira Al-Amir explained that the Technical Committee approved an amendment to a previous Municipal Council decision, allowing the temporary use of sites within road right-of-way limits to establish surface parking lots. This implementation follows Item 1 (paragraph b) of Cabinet Resolution No. 868.

She indicated that this approach aims to provide short- and medium-term solutions for areas experiencing high traffic density and parking shortages, emphasizing that these parking facilities are temporary and removable whenever necessary for road projects, expansions, or upon request by the Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait Municipality, or any of the service ministries.

Al-Amir confirmed that the committee established a set of controls to ensure these parking facilities do not affect road network efficiency or traffic safety. Key measures include determining each site through coordination between the Kuwait Municipality, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Public Works, and obtaining approvals from relevant service ministries before finalizing any site. Additionally, proposed parking facilities must not conflict with existing or future services and infrastructure.

She added that temporary parking facilities must connect to the internal road networks of areas without creating new direct entrances or exits from main or express roads. Safety requirements and safe distances at intersections, road entrances, and exits must be observed, and coordination with the Ministry of Finance is required regarding relevant sites and procedures.

In the same context, the Chairperson of the Technical Committee confirmed that the committee approved the temporary use of vacant government-designated lands as surface parking lots until the implementation of the projects designated for those sites begins, in accordance with Item 1 (paragraph a) of Cabinet Decision No. 868.

She clarified that this approach represents one of the practical solutions for utilizing unexploited government lands during the transitional period preceding the implementation of the designated projects, thereby contributing to providing additional parking spaces and making use of available lands without affecting the plans of government entities or future projects allocated to them.

Princess Al-Amir emphasized that the utilization of any site would be linked to the execution phase of the project designated for it, requiring coordination with the Kuwait Municipality, the Ministry of Public Works, and the Ministry of Interior to determine the feasibility of utilizing each site and its specific conditions, in addition to obtaining approval from the government entity that allocated the site to ensure that the temporary use does not conflict with the project’s implementation schedule.

She noted that the newly established parking lots would be removed immediately upon request by the government entity to which the site is allocated, with the entity responsible for constructing the parking lots tasked with their removal, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance regarding related procedures.

Engineer Munira Al-Amir affirmed that the Technical Committee views these temporary solutions as flexible measures to address current needs without compromising the future planning of the sites, noting that the success of these solutions depends on prior coordination among government entities and full compliance with the technical, traffic, and service requirements for each site individually.

She concluded her statement by saying that the outcomes of the meeting reflect the diverse files handled by the Municipal Council, ranging from infrastructure and service projects, to border crossings and strategic projects, up to real estate and regulatory requests, emphasizing that the primary criterion in reviewing any application is its compatibility with technical and regulatory requirements and its contribution to the public interest.