Municipal Council resumes work with key decisions on border, energy, parking projects
. . . approves Al-Salmi border crossing expansion by 1 million sqm, 2.5 million sqm site reallocated for Al-Durra facilities
The Technical Committee of Kuwait’s Municipal Council has resumed work after the summer recess, approving a series of major infrastructure and land-use decisions covering the Al-Salmi border crossing, the Al-Durra offshore gas field, sewage infrastructure and temporary parking facilities.
The committee approved a request by the General Administration of Customs to expand the Al-Salmi border crossing by approximately 1 million square meters, bringing the total area of the site to about 2.339 million square meters.
The additional land will be used for dry and wet storage facilities, shaded and open storage areas and other services required for the border crossing, in line with the government’s planned use of the site.
The approval is subject to the submission of a comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment before implementation, compliance with the requirements of the Public Utilities and Services Subcommittee and coordination with the relevant authorities.
In a separate strategic decision, the committee approved the cancellation of the allocation of a site previously designated for the third olefins and second aromatics project (D2) and its reallocation to Kuwait Gulf Oil Company to support the expansion of onshore processing facilities and installations linked to the Al-Durra offshore gas field in the Al-Zour area.
The site covers approximately 2.5 million square meters. The reallocation followed approvals from the relevant authorities, including Petrochemical Industries Company, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and the Ministry of Oil. The committee also authorized necessary adjustments to the site’s dimensions and area where required by infrastructure or regulatory considerations, provided the approved allocation is not exceeded.
The committee also approved a Ministry of Public Works request to allocate a sewage pipeline in South Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City (N11). The planned pipeline will be approximately 1,900 meters long and 10 meters wide, connecting a sewage pumping station to the end of an existing pipeline.
Implementation will require coordination with the Public Utilities and Services Subcommittee and submission of a comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment approved by the Environment Public Authority. The pipeline’s location must also take into account the existing greenbelt project.
The committee approved the Ministry of Finance’s request to reallocate sites used by the Kuwait Public Transport Company at Shuwaikh Garage and Mina Abdullah from the Public Authority for Industry to the Ministry of Finance, in implementation of a Cabinet decision.
The Mina Abdullah Garage site covers approximately 200,000 square meters, while the Shuwaikh Garage covers about 67,279.5 square meters. Relevant departments may make organizational adjustments where necessary, provided the allocated areas are not exceeded.
Addressing Kuwait’s continuing parking shortage and traffic congestion, the committee approved amendments allowing the temporary use of road right-of-way areas for surface parking. The temporary parking sites must be identified in coordination with Kuwait Municipality, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Public Works, with the necessary approvals from relevant service authorities. They must not interfere with existing or planned infrastructure or services.
The committee stipulated that such parking areas must connect to internal district roads and must not have direct entrances or exits onto main or express roads. Safety distances at intersections and road entrances and exits must also be maintained.
The committee further approved the temporary use of vacant government-owned land allocated for future projects as surface parking until those projects begin. Such use will require coordination with the relevant authorities and approval from the government entity to which the land has been allocated.
The temporary parking facilities must be removed once the allocated government project is ready to proceed or whenever the relevant authority requests their removal. The entity that constructed the parking area will be responsible for dismantling it.
Meanwhile, the committee rejected a request to add two floors to a multi-storey parking garage in Sharq, Block 8. The proposed development would have resulted in two basement levels, a ground floor, nine upper floors and a rooftop parking area, which the technical study found inconsistent with Kuwait Municipality’s current standards and specifications for multi-storey parking facilities.
A separate request to change the zoning of a plot in Hawally, Block 87, was also rejected. The committee noted that the state-owned property lies within an investment residential area and that matters concerning its valuation and public auction fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance’s State Property Administration.
Technical Committee Chairwoman Engineer Munira Al-Amir said the decisions were based on technical studies and responses from the relevant authorities, with the committee seeking to support strategic projects and public services while maintaining urban planning, environmental and infrastructure requirements.
She stressed that the fundamental criterion in reviewing transactions is their compliance with technical and regulatory requirements and their contribution to the public interest.
