FIVE NEW INTEGRATED HOUSING PROJECTS TO CREATE 4,800 HOMES IN OMAN

Ministry of Housing & Urban Planning expands Al Souroh Initiative based on PPP model

Buoyed by the success of its maiden Integrated Housing Development Project at Barka based on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, Oman’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has unveiled plans for five new developments offering an aggregate of 4,800 housing units catering to an estimated 24,000 people.

Integrated housing schemes under the government’s ‘Al Souroh Initiative’ are proposed to be established on parcels of government land covering a total area of 1.9 million sq metres at Al Amerat (two locations), Al Seeb, Bidbid and Nakhl.

“The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning wishes to present new opportunities for companies and institutions specialised in the real estate development sector (local and international) who have experience, competence, financial and administrative capability in the real estate development, and for those who wish to compete, file a request of “Expression of Interest” to develop one of the locations on the maps shown above,” the Ministry said in an announcement late on Saturday.

It described ‘Al Souroh’ as a national initiative centring on the developments of “integrated residential neighbourhood projects in support of the existing housing policies in the Sultanate, to provide suitable alternatives of suitable housing for citizens eligible for granting residential lands, in partnership between the public and private sectors”.

The five new developments will be broadly modelled on the Hay Al Naseem project — the first of a series of integrated housing schemes planned across the Sultanate under the Al Souroh Initiative. Coming up on a 350,000 sq metre plot of government land at Barka, Hay Al Naseem is a mixed-use development offering a wide array of residential units surrounded by integrated facilities, while also incorporating commercial facilities, recreational services, public parks and community amenities. Residential options on offer include 132 semi-detached villas (3-5 BHK), 320 apartments (3-4 BHK), 120 detached villas (3-5 BHK), and 479 townhouses (3-4 BHK).

It serves as a model for integrated development with optimal population density that is affordable to Omanis. The model also champions the establishment of sustainable communities within integrated neighbourhoods with all of the requisite utilities and services set in place.

FIVE NEW SCHEMES

a) Al Amerat 1: Covering an area of around 300,000 sq metres, Plot Number 9197 in Al Amerat in Muscat Governorate will feature an integrated housing project with around 750 assorted residential units distributed across residential apartments, villas, attached villas, semi-attached villas and detached villas, along with a full array of support infrastructure. As many as 3,750 people can be hosted within this development.

b) Al Amerat 2: Also in Muscat Governorate, Plot Number 9199 is about 445K sq metres in area and will accommodate about 1,100 residential units that will house an estimated 5,500 people.

c) Bidbid: Interested developers are invited to invest in an integrated housing scheme on a 287K sq metre plot in Bidbid (Al Dakhiliyah Governorate) featuring about 750 residential units serving around 3,750 people.

d) Al Seeb: The Ministry is offering about 231K sq metres of land at Hellat Al Fateh in Seeb Wilayat (Muscat Governorate) for the construction of about 600 residential units serving about 3,000 people.

e) Nakhl: The largest of the five developments is proposed to come up at Halban (Wilayat of Nakhl) in South Al Batinah Governorate. The ministry is making available around 637K sq metres of land for the construction of 1,600 residential units catering to about 8,000 people. When eventually implemented and operational, the five new schemes will help offset the backlog of Omanis waiting for their entitlement of residential plots under longstanding government law. In the three governorates of Muscat, Al Dakhiliyah and South Al Batinah, where the five new schemes are planned, the total size of the waiting list of eligible applicants is about 212,000, according to the Ministry. Interested developers have until November 16, 2021 to submit their ‘Expressions of Interests’ to register their desire to participate in the competitive tender.