Muharraq Councillors slam costly permit approvals and delays for low-income families

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Engineering costs squeezing low-income families and drawn-out permit approvals stirred sharp criticism of the Benayat building system during the Muharraq Municipal Council meeting yesterday.

Officials presented a review of the system’s performance in 2024, with councillors raising concerns over fairness and the strain on residents.

The Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture revealed that 1,533 permit applications were processed last year, with 1,781 permits issued for new construction covering 1,728,000 square metres.

Workload

Engineer Najma Abdulredha, who heads the Building Permits Control Section, explained that the workload is spread across Bahrain’s municipalities.

The Northern Municipality saw the highest activity with 578 applications, followed by the Southern Municipality at 438, Muharraq Municipality at 296, and the Capital Secretariat at 221.

Applications were largely residential, making up 70 per cent of the total. Investment projects accounted for 4.4 per cent, while industrial and agricultural requests stood at 1.5 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively.

Regulatory requests

A further 1.5 per cent was for public benefit projects, and 22.3 per cent fell under special or regulatory requests.

Processing times, Abdulredha explained, ranged from one to five days.

“Our department handles applications in a maximum of five days,” she said. “If there are delays, they’re usually from engineering offices, not us.”

Records show that 427 applications were completed within a day, 639 in two days, 377 in three days, and 85 in four days. Five applications required the full five-day period.

Certificates

Councillor Fadhel Al Oud zeroed in on a 2024 rule requiring engineering certificates for construction under 50 square metres.

He said the certificates, which start at BD50, unfairly burden families already struggling to make ends meet.

“This rule was introduced to help those with limited means, but the certificate costs have made things harder for them,” he said.

Abdulredha defended the rule, explaining its importance for safety.

Confirmation

“We only ask for confirmation from an engineering office to show that extra work won’t compromise the structure,” she said. “It’s about ensuring lives aren’t put at risk, especially with repeated additions to existing buildings.”

The discussion turned to broader concerns about the affordability of engineering services and the time taken for approvals.

Councillor Abdul qader Mahmoud argued that Bahrain lagged behind other countries where permits are approved within hours.

“Here, the process drags on for days,” he said. “Property owners are kept waiting, and there’s no oversight on engineering office fees, which are often inflated.”

Abdulredha acknowledged the frustrations but pointed out that engineering offices operate independently.

“They’re private businesses, so we have no control over their prices,” she said. “We’ve already asked the ministerial committee to look into reducing costs for permits and certificates.”

Planning phase

She added that efforts are already moving forward to cut the planning phase for building permits from 60 working days to just 10. “We’re working on this with the ministerial committee to make the process more efficient,” she said.

The Benayat system played a major role in construction across Bahrain last year, but ongoing complaints about fees and delays leave officials grappling with how to balance efficiency, safety, and affordability for residents.