The The Shura Council held its 39th regular session of the second year of the ninth session yesterday, Monday, chaired by His Excellency Dr. Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Suleimi, Deputy Speaker of the Council. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Shura Council highlighted a number of issues related to the municipal, housing, and infrastructure sectors during its discussion of the annual report of the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, during which Council members put forward a series of proposals aimed at increasing the efficiency of urban development projects, enhancing the quality of municipal services, and improving the real estate investment environment.
Several council members emphasized the importance of developing the municipal project management system, with Dr. Hani Aburas calling for a study to modernize the institutional model of municipal corporations, thereby strengthening their role in managing municipal sectors open to public-private partnerships and increasing the efficiency of development project implementation. On the issue of urban planning, Dr. Mohamed Ashri called for adopting the concept of participatory urban planning through the creation of interactive digital platforms that allow residents to share their opinions on service, investment, and development projects in their neighborhoods, thereby helping to identify actual needs and address challenges before projects are implemented.
Dr. Magdi Al-Salmi also called for establishing clear regulatory frameworks governing the relationship between entities involved in urban planning, while working to complete municipal services in neighborhoods where the construction rate has exceeded 50%, as well as revising building codes to align with community needs and strengthen compliance with regulations. Regarding infrastructure projects, Dr. Najwa Al-Ghamdi emphasized the need to strengthen on-site oversight of projects being implemented within residential neighborhoods, and ensuring that construction companies adhere to safety requirements during implementation, while regulating working hours for non-emergency projects to minimize their impact on residents.
Discussions also addressed the issue of waterfronts and public parks, with Dr. Hisham Al-Faris calling for limiting the expansion of investments along waterfronts, and to minimize the construction of permanent structures in parks and recreational areas, thereby preserving the urban character and public spaces.
Regarding municipal services, Dr. Latifa Al-Abdulkarim called for stricter oversight of paid parking operators and efforts to improve the user experience, along with establishing clear mechanisms for addressing complaints and objections, as well as compensation procedures. On the other hand, Dr. Reema Al-Yahya called for establishing regulatory controls for inspection campaigns targeting commercial and food establishments, striking a balance between strengthening oversight and protecting commercial activities, without compromising public health and consumer safety requirements.
Following the conclusion of the discussions, the Committee on Hajj, Housing, and Services requested additional time to review the comments and proposals submitted by Council members, in preparation for drafting its final recommendations and presenting them to the Council at a subsequent session.
