Muscat – Approximately 30mn to 40mn sqm of land in wilayats of Muscat governorate, Salalah in Dhofar and Sohar in North Batinah have been allocated for investment for establishment of modern cities with integrated services, according to H E Dr Khalfan bin Saeed al Shuaili, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning.

In an interview with Oman TV, H E Shuaili said, “The ministry distributed nearly 23,000 plots of land in 2022 according to the new conditions for land distribution, which were mostly accepted positively. The ministry focused on several priorities, including granting land to families who do not own land or housing.”

He informed that the ministry is currently discussing with the banking sector to find more interactive programmes in real estate financing, and is working to improve its services and efficiency, while also expediting the digital transformation programme through platforms such as Amlak.

The minister said that the master plan for Greater Nizwa will soon be assigned. This plan and others such as the master plans for Greater Muscat and Greater Salalah represent the third phase of the urban strategy.

According to H E Shuaili, 60 per cent of the first phase of the integrated residential neighbourhoods project Sorouh in Barka has been completed. This phase will be ready for housing starting the middle of next year.

The Sorouh programme includes a second stage in three sites in the wilayats of Amerat and Bidbid and in the Halban region. These projects are in the final negotiation stage. The project in the wilayat of Amerat for about a thousand housing units will be signed soon.

H E Shuaili further explained that there are five projects in the third stage of Sorouh, which will be in the wilayats of Sur, Rustaq, Salalah, Sohar and Khasab, which are in the process of being offered. Projects are being considered in 30 wilayats in the next ten years.

H E Shuaili also informed about the Future Cities programme represented by five-six projects for large cities with approximately 60,000 housing units throughout the sultanate, including a project in Muscat spread over an area of 15mn sqm which will have 23,000 housing units. Eighty per cent of the design work for this has been completed and will be announced soon.