Building clamp sparks row

By TARIQ KHONJI
A MUNICIPAL council has been accused of deterring investment into Bahrain by halting construction of a 10-storey apartment building in Umm Al Hassam after it had already been given the go-ahead. The Manama Municipal Council will now reconsider its decision to block construction after work had already started.
It vetoed the project while it was already under way after agreeing to only allow new buildings to be built in the area if they are no more than six storeys high.
The council had earlier given it the green light to go up to 10 storeys under a previous classification system.
However, the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry upheld the council's decision and ordered construction work to stop for one month after the main contractor had already begun piling work.
Project consultant Bahrain Engineering Bureau proprietor Khalid Jamsheer said the move was bad for business and could scare away investors.
He estimated that it could turn the entire project into a failure - resulting in the land value dropping 50 per cent from its BD40 per square foot price.
"The project was approved by Civil Defence, the Electricity and Water Ministry, the Roads Directorate and even the zoning department of the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry," said Mr Jamsheer.
"We followed all the proper procedures and began construction.
"We were shocked that they ordered us to stop without giving us an explanation."
Mr Jamsheer said the project was initiated following a change in the area's classification in 2004, which allowed for buildings of up to 10 storeys to be built above the ground floor.
"The area had been changed to classification C, which allows for taller buildings," he said.
"Bahrain's policy, as stated by Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, is to favour vertical construction because this is a small country without much space.
"In Dubai, buildings are allowed to go up to 80 or 90 floors and we are still stuck at six?"
Mr Jamsheer urged Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh, who is said to have signed the documents freezing the project, to reverse his decision.
He also accused the Council of being ignorant of economic concerns, adding that a shorter building would take a much longer time for the investor to recover his investment.
"It could take 10 years or more, which would make the investment a failure," continued Mr Jamsheer.
However, Manama Municipal Council chairman Murtaza Bader said the area had been reclassified again to make Manama better organised.
"We don't want to have really tall buildings next to really short ones," he said.
"We will be discussing this matter at our meeting on Tuesday. We may reverse the decision or we may compensate the investor for the losses."
A statement from the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry said it does not have the legal right to go against the council's decision to halt construction.
"The council ordered the construction to be halted for one month while it studies the matter," it said.
The ministry is now awaiting the council's final decision on Tuesday before taking any further action.