Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Mayor of Jeddah Saleh Al-Turki has said 34 of a total of 64 random neighborhoods in the city will be completely razed as part of the ongoing redevelopment plan.

Appearing in “The position” show aired on Saudi Television, Al-Turki revealed that the neighborhoods that will be removed are full of abandoned houses or slums, making entry into those areas difficult.

The remaining 30 neighborhoods, despite having many random constructions, will not be removed. “The majority of these neighborhoods that are not marked for razing have some kind of order and the majority of the residents there are Saudi citizens,” he said quoting the findings of a study.

He said detailed plans have been drawn up to develop these neighborhoods and give ownership of buildings to citizens who had been residing there and do not own any other homes.

Al-Turki said the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing has prepared 5,000 housing units for families who are beneficiaries of social security schemes and whose homes in slum areas have been dismantled.

“A total of 102 families who lived in the Gulail neighborhood have so far been transferred to the ministry’s housing units. Those who own title deeds for their homes and used to live in slums before their removal will be given housing for a year or rented housing. He stressed that the process for the payment of compensation for the residents of slums that were cleared will be expedited and the payment will be completed faster than normal.

The mayor pointed out that the domination of illegal residents in some the central Jeddah neighborhoods had forced local Saudis to flee those areas. The current scheme will work on the redevelopment of the old neighborhoods in central Jeddah and eventually these areas will become more vibrant, he said.

According to Al-Turki, a royal order has facilitated the procedures for the payment of compensation on the basis of documents proving ownership. There is no need for the citizens who own a paper document to convert it into an electronic one. “Whoever owns a deed will be compensated for both the land and the razed building, and whoever does not have a deed is considered a trespasser on the property of others and is only compensated for the building,” he said while adding that the Real Estate General Authority will form a team that will undertake the task of assessing the value of the real estate.