Saudi Gazette report

MADINAH — Realtors and specialists called for allowing multiple-floor residential buildings in the neighborhoods between Madinah’s second and third ring roads.



Only two-floor buildings are allowed in these neighborhoods, and allowing for more floors will help in combating the accommodation problem in the holy city.



Dr. Bakr Harras, assistant professor of architecture at Taibah University, said Madinah should be a special case city with regard to building regulations.



Madinah is linked to the growth of the Islamic world and as the Islamic world grows, so will visitors to Madinah, he said.



As such, expansion in residential buildings should be continual to cater for the increase in demand.



He said the areas adjacent to the Prophet’s Mosque should belong to the mosque’s authorities and should be separated from the residential areas. He said residential expansion in Madinah should be horizontal and restricted to three-story buildings.



At the same time, there should be measures to allow expansion for the sake of future generations, he said.



Hotels, however, should expand vertically and allowed more floors than currently allowed, he claimed.



Realtor Ayedh Al-Senani said residents have for years been calling for allowing at least three floors in buildings within the third ring road area.



He added that no doubt a horizontal expansion is best suited for Madinah if all necessary services and infrastructure are available.



Real estate investor Abdulrahman Al-Selaimi said the effects of banning multi-story buildings include traffic congestion, crowds of shoppers and high rent.



Madinah is in dire need of suburban land schemes with necessary services, he said.



However, the head of the real estate committee at the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ghazi Qutub, said the neighborhoods between the second and third ring roads were designed to be low-density areas.



Allowing more floors in these neighborhoods would increase pressure on available services and require additional unplanned services.



He believes the solution is to start new land development schemes and provide the necessary services to make them suitable for living.