Unused plots of land in some of Bahrain’s most congested areas could soon be hired out on a monthly basis for use as car parks, a report said.

The Capital Trustees Board is already compiling a list of empty plots in areas such as Seef and Juffair, prior to negotiating lease rates with landowners, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

It follows numerous complaints from residents and visitors to the governorate about cars parked on the roads or on pavements due to lack of space.

“The car parking situation in some areas, notably Juffair and Seef, needs rectifying as it is leading to access being blocked while encouraging improper parking,” board acting chairman Mazen Alumran told the GDN.

“It is very difficult to purchase plots of land due to a limited budget, while asking ministries or government bodies to move things around also takes time.

“But the board could lease plots owned by the government or endowments directorates within days, while we will negotiate with private owners to lease their plots for around BD500 a month.

“Of course, we will be willing to give up the land whenever landowners decide they want to build – hopefully by then we will have found permanent solutions to the congestion.”

Meanwhile, Alumran said there were plans to bring in new regulations regarding obligations for developers in relation to car parking.

“We believe that the current parking spaces required from developers is not enough, with just one space required per apartment in residential projects and two per shop in commercial ones,” he said.

“More parking spaces should be incorporated into projects – it is no good having services on offer when it is difficult to reach them.

“The issue is under study and could see new regulations introduced regarding the number of car parks that should be provided.” – TradeArabia News Service