Minara Al-Amir: 'Technical Committee' decisions balance support for strategic projects and protection of urban planning

- Temporary parking spaces will be allowed within road reserves and on government lands to address parking shortages and reduce congestion.

- Short- and medium-term solutions will be implemented in areas experiencing high traffic density and a lack of parking spaces.

- The committee has established controls to ensure that these parking facilities do not compromise the efficiency of the road network or traffic safety.

Engineer Munira Jassim Al-Amir, Chairperson of the Technical Committee at the Municipal Council, confirmed that the committee resumed its work following the holiday break and the reconvening of the Municipal Council, by reviewing several files and cases of technical and regulatory importance. She noted that the committee addressed the issues presented based on studies and technical responses from relevant authorities, in a manner that serves the public interest and preserves the integrity of urban planning, services, and infrastructure in the State of Kuwait.

In a statement, Al-Amir clarified that the committee discussed ten key cases during its meeting. These included files related to infrastructure and sewage systems, the reallocation of sites for the Kuwait Public Transport Company, the expansion of the Salwa border crossing, and a strategic file concerning the support of land-based treatment facilities and structures for the Al-Durra offshore field project. Additionally, the committee reviewed requests to add floors to the parking building in the East area, to reorganize a plot in the Hawalli area, and to utilize vacant lands designated for government entities as temporary parking spaces, as well as to organize and utilize sites within road reserves as parking areas.

In line with the committee’s direction toward supporting practical solutions to the parking shortage and reducing traffic congestion, Engineer Munira Al-Amir stated that the Technical Committee approved an amendment to a previous Municipal Council decision. This amendment permits the utilization of sites within road reserve boundaries to establish temporary surface parking lots, in implementation of Clause 1 (paragraph b) of Cabinet Decision No. (868).

She pointed out that this initiative aims to provide short- and medium-term solutions for areas with high traffic density and parking shortages. She emphasized that these parking facilities are temporary and removable whenever necessary for the implementation or expansion of road projects, or upon request by the Ministry of Public Works, the Kuwait Municipality, or any of the service ministries.

Al-Amir affirmed that the committee established a set of controls to ensure these parking facilities do not affect road network efficiency or traffic safety. Key controls 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. Furthermore, proposed parking areas must not conflict with existing or future services and infrastructure.

She added that temporary parking facilities must connect to the internal road network of the areas without creating new direct entrances or exits from main or express roads. This requires adhering to safety requirements and safe distances at intersections and road entrances/exits, as well as coordinating with the Ministry of Finance regarding relevant sites and procedures.

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

She indicated that the approval came with several conditions, including compliance with the stipulations outlined in the responses of the Sub-Committee for Public Utilities and Services, coordination with them prior to implementation, and submitting a comprehensive study to assess the project’s environmental and social impact, endorsed by the Public Authority for Environmental Affairs.

She added that the committee also conditioned its approval on the stabilization of the site, given the existence of the Green Belt project, for which the Municipal Council had issued a decision, while authorizing relevant departments to carry out any relocation or adjustments to the path’s lengths and coordinates, provided such changes do not exceed the stipulated length in cases of conflict with existing infrastructure services or for regulatory reasons.

She noted that the committee also approved the Ministry of Finance’s request to reallocate the Kuwait Public Transport Company’s sites in the Shuwaikh Depot and Abdullah Port from the Public Authority for Industry to the Ministry of Finance, in implementation of the relevant Cabinet decision. According to the file, the sites include the Abdullah Port Depot, covering an area of 200,000 square meters, and the Shuwaikh Depot, covering 67,279.5 square meters, with authorization granted to relevant departments to make necessary regulatory adjustments to the dimensions and areas of the sites, provided these do not exceed the allocated areas in cases of conflict with infrastructure services or for regulatory reasons, and to cancel any prior decisions contradicting this.

In another matter, 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, with the expansion to be utilized for dry and wet storage areas, shaded and open storage zones, and additional services for the crossings, in line with the site’s government use.

She emphasized that the approval was conditioned on submitting a comprehensive study to assess the environmental and social impact prior to implementation, complying with the requirements of the Sub-Committee for Utilities and Public Services and coordinating with it before execution, as well as allowing relevant departments to make necessary regulatory adjustments without exceeding the allocated areas.

She confirmed that the committee did not approve Al-Hamra Real Estate Company’s request to add two floors to the multi-story parking building in the Al-Sharq area, Plot 8. She explained that the technical study indicated that adding the two floors would raise the building to include two basements, a ground floor, nine repetitive floors, and roof-covered parking, which contradicts the current standards and specifications enforced by the Kuwait Municipality for multi-story parking buildings. She stressed that the committee’s stance was based on the technical study and current specifications to ensure compliance with approved regulatory requirements.

Al-Amir announced the non-approval of the request to reorganize Plot No. 10 within Plot 87 in the Hawalli area, noting that the study clarified that the plot in question is state-owned land located in an area designated for residential and investment use.

She pointed out that the case falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance’s State Property Administration, as the competent authority responsible for evaluating land and offering it for public auction in accordance with the law referenced in the file, leading the technical opinion to conclude that the request should not be approved.

She clarified that the site covers an area of 2.5 million square meters, and that the approval for its reallocation came after receiving approvals from relevant entities, including the Petrochemical Industries Company and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, as well as the Ministry of Oil. She referred to the importance of the Doha Field development project and its vital impact and benefits on the country.

She confirmed that the approval included compliance with the requirements of the Sub-Committee for Utilities and Public Services and coordination with it before execution, while authorizing relevant departments to make necessary adjustments to the site’s dimensions and area, provided these do not exceed the allocated area in cases of conflict with infrastructure services or for regulatory reasons.

Princess Munira al-Amir confirmed that “the committee approved the temporary use of vacant lands allocated to government entities as surface parking lots, pending the commencement of implementation of the projects designated for those sites, in accordance with Item 1 (paragraph a) of Cabinet Decision No. 868.”

She clarified that “this approach represents one of the practical solutions to utilize unused 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 assigned to them.”

She emphasized that “the utilization of any site will be linked to the implementation 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 responsible for the allocation to ensure that the temporary use of the site does not conflict with the project’s implementation schedule.”

She noted that “the newly established parking lots will be removed immediately upon request by the government entity to which the site is allocated, with the entity that implemented the parking lots responsible for their removal, and with necessary coordination with the Ministry of Finance regarding related procedures.”

Princess Munira al-Amir stressed 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 stated that “the outcomes of the meeting reflect the diversity of 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,” affirming that the primary criterion in reviewing any application is its compatibility with technical and regulatory requirements and its contribution to the public interest.

Princess Munira al-Amir emphasized that “the technical committee continues to carry out its role in carefully studying referred matters, relying on technical studies and responses from relevant departments and authorities, while balancing the support of priority projects and services with adherence to regulatory and environmental requirements and the protection of existing infrastructure.”