DOHA: Urban Planning authorities have given clearance for development of multi-storey buildings in some key downtown areas of the city.
The Gold Souq area, located opposite Grand Hamad Avenue popularly known as the Bank Street, has been declared a purely commercial district in new urban development plans.
The residential buildings located along the internal streets in this area will be changed into commercial. And multi-storey structures will be permitted in the entire area.
The nearby Old Al Ghanem area, on the other hand, is to be a mixed-use locality, with buildings of ground plus six floors to be allowed here.
The usage of the buildings in this locality will be commercial, residential and administrative.
This, in other words, means that shops and showrooms as well as houses and offices will be allowed in the area.
No wonder, then, that early last June real estate in Old Al Ghanem was sold at a record rate of QR207,000 ($57,000) per square metre.
A 2,167 sq metre plot in the locality was sold for an incredible QR453.6m ($124.56m) in the week from June 1 to 5, 2014.
Al Nijada area located behind the Bank Street where Souq Nijada once existed will be permitted to have buildings with ground plus five floors.
This will also be a mixed-use area with the usage of the buildings being residential, commercial and administrative, local Arabic daily Al Raya reported yesterday.
The daily said that huge development was waiting to take place between east of Al Sadd and Fereej Al Naser and the projects include road, sewage and other infrastructure works.
Meanwhile, designs for the second phase of commercial streets are ready and being reviewed for implementation at 40 sites in different parts of the country.
The areas include Raudat Al Hamam, Doha Jadeed, Thumama, Sailiya and Bani Hajir, among others, within Doha. Several sites are located out of the city.
Plots on these commercial streets will be of areas ranging from 1,500 sq metres to 4,000 sq metres. A commercial street is a unique concept. Such streets will support shops, showrooms and offices on both sides and each street can be dedicated to a particular trade.The Peninsula
