”Housing Ministry”: No Objection to Converting Private Agricultural Land to Residential Use

Riyadh—Amlak
The Ministry of Housing has clarified that it has no objection to converting agricultural land located within private farms into residential land, with the aim of providing more residential land for citizens wishing to use it for housing. This is conditional on the approval of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs for the conversion from agricultural to residential land, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, especially since these farms are located within the province’s urban boundaries and are close to existing urban areas.
The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Engineer Muhammad Al-Zami, told “Al-Riyadh” that matters pertaining to agricultural land do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Housing, confirming that Housing Minister Shuish Al-Duwaihi had approved the zoning of certain plots located within private farms in some governorates where members of the municipal councils had requested the conversion of agricultural land within private farms in preparation for their owners and families to use them for residential purposes, should the need arise to provide more residential land. He stipulated that this requires the approval of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to convert the land from agricultural to residential use, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, especially since these farms are located within the province’s urban boundaries and are close to existing urban areas.
Regarding agricultural land suitable for housing projects and administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Al-Zuma’i confirmed that the Ministry of Housing has approached the Ministry of Agriculture to request the transfer of such land for use in Ministry of Housing projects. He noted that the Ministry is taking this approach with all government agencies that own large tracts of land that can be utilized for housing projects to be allocated to citizens in all cities and regions of the Kingdom.
In the same context, Al-Zuma’i confirmed that during the Housing Minister’s recent visit to Wadi Al-Dawasir Governorate, a number of sites proposed by the Wadi Al-Dawasir Municipal Council were inspected with a view to converting them from agricultural land to residential land. It was agreed to study these sites andassess their suitability for Ministry of Housing projects and programs. These sites are currently being evaluated in preparation for completing the procedures for their acquisition.