KUWAIT: The Municipal Council approved Monday the removal of chalets located between Doha West Power Plant and the Jahra Nature Reserve to make way for the Jahra Waterfront Project.

The Jahra Waterfront Project “Al-Corniche” was approved by the council last October. The project covers an area of approximately 5,794 square meters and is expected to create around 25,000 job opportunities. The council said the decision to remove the chalets came following directives from Minister of State for Municipality Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Abdullatif Al-Meshari.

In a letter to the council, the minister said the chalets constitute a major obstacle to the execution of the project on the Jahra waterfront. He pointed out that the lease contracts for the chalets, which were concluded with the Ministry of Finance as the body managing state property, are temporary and clearly define the rights and responsibilities of the parties involved. According to the contracts, the state has the right to remove the chalets at any time in line with the requests of the Ministry of Finance and the Environment Public Authority.

Agricultural amendments

In a separate decision, the Municipal Council approved the technical committee’s recommendations for proposed amendments to building regulations in agricultural and livestock areas.

The amendments include provisions to increase the areas designated for nature reserves, thereby supporting environmental initiatives and encouraging sustainable activities in Kuwait. They also propose changes to the design of family retreats, limiting them to a single floor rather than two.

Additional amendments include increasing the allowable building area and height to maximize land use, as well as expanding storage spaces in agricultural zones to accommodate seeds, agricultural products, and equipment. These changes are intended to address challenges faced by people who work in the agricultural sector. The amendments also call for expanding the space for workers’ housing and its annexes in agricultural and livestock areas, improving operational efficiency by providing better living conditions for the workforce.

A significant benefit of the revised regulations is the clearer distinction between livestock and horse breeding activities, offering better organization and management compared to previous guidelines, the council said. They also involve a clearer definition of the areas covered by the regulations, eliminating potential confusion with zones designated for other uses.