A long-running dispute over unlicensed or non-compliant garages operating in the heart of a city is finally set to reach the council chamber, after a surge of residents’ petitions forced the issue on to tomorrow’s Muharraq Municipal Council agenda.
The council’s financial, administrative and legislative affairs committee, chaired by councillor Fadhel Al Oud, has issued a firm recommendation compelling dozens of shops along four major streets in Muharraq’s Block 215 to comply with new land-use rules – or face closure within a year.
The streets include Road 1511, Rashid Al Zayani Road 1515, Shaikh Abdullah Road and Al Naham Bu Tabinyah Road, all of which were formally reclassified from ‘service use’ to ‘commercial use’ as part of a wider urban-planning and economic-development strategy approved earlier this year.
Service use allows the opening of garages, welding workshops, mechanical and electrical repair shops, and small industries, while commercial use allows other businesses such as cold stores, dry cleaners, barber shops, bakeries, cafes and restaurants.
But, several shops, mostly vehicle repair garages, continue to operate under the old classification – drawing strong complaints from residents who say the businesses cause noise, crowding, pollution and ‘a total distortion of the neighbourhood’s character’.
Mr Al Oud said the council has reached a point where clear enforcement is necessary. “The area has been officially transformed into a commercial zone and we cannot allow activities that no longer match this classification,” he told the GDN.
“We want investment, organised growth and a healthier residential environment. Garages simply do not belong on streets designated for modern commercial activity.”
He said residents’ petitions played a decisive role in accelerating the committee’s work.
“People living in the area have endured noise, fumes, congestion and visual pollution for years,” he added.
“When families start describing their streets as ‘unliveable’ then municipal authorities must step in. This recommendation reflects that urgency.”
The committee’s resolution calls for the immediate notification of all non-compliant shop owners, requiring them to move their business activities from service-oriented operations – specifically, car garages – to commercial uses permitted under the new zoning.
Shop owners will be given a maximum of one year to complete the transition. During this period, commercial registrations for garages will not be renewed.
Those who comply will be allowed to continue operating under new permissible categories. Those who refuse will face decisive action.
“If a shop does not comply by the deadline, closure becomes inevitable under municipal regulations,” Mr Al Oud said.
“Nobody wants to shut businesses down, but the law is the law, and the interests of the wider community must come first.”
Municipal documents show several objectives behind the reclassification of the streets, including:
Creating harmony between commercial activities and urban development plans
Improving the overall appearance and reducing visual clutter
Preventing duplication of business activities
Attracting new investments suitable for mixed-use commercial zones
Ensuring fair treatment for compliant business owners
Reducing environmental pressures stemming from garage operations
Council memoranda also cited ‘significant and repeated complaints’ from families living in the vicinity, who submitted written evidence detailing noise, late-night work and pollution from paint and mechanical waste.
The matter will be debated publicly during tomorrow’s meeting after council chairman Abdulaziz Al Naar formally listed it as an urgent item, citing public pressure and policy alignment with the Muharraq Development Plan.
Mr Al Oud said he expects broad support from council colleagues. “It is a necessary step,” he said.
“When we modernise land use, we must also modernise enforcement. The community deserves organised, safe and sustainable neighbourhoods – and that is exactly what this decision aims to deliver.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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