Realty boom continues

The real estate sector in Bahrain continues to boom as around 10,000 building permits were issued in Bahrain in the past year. New buildings continue to come up in Bahrain as the real estate sector booms well, according to sources. The Northern Governorate and the Capital Governorate issued the most number of building permits, it is learnt.

According to official statistics, over 2,100 building permits were issued in Capital Governorate between the period of January and November 2018 while 3,305 permits were issued in the Northern Governorate in 2018. Sources said 1,912 were issued in Muharraq and 1,650 in Southern Governorate last year.

According to the authorities, demand for building permits continued the momentum from previous years, reflecting the economic stability in the country. Procuring new building permits in the Kingdom has now become easier than ever, thanks to the newly developed online portal ‘Benayat’. The portal, according to Mohamed Ali AlQaed, Chief Executive of Information and eGovernment Authority, ensures the “period of issuing a building permit is reduced to no more than five days in comparison to several months in the past”.

“This was made possible by linking the system to the national geographic database (BSDI) which enables investors and engineering offices to instantly identify the requirements of their lands and in return help them in preparing the necessary drawings and documents,” AlQaed said. The system, also the first government portal launched through the Cloud Computing System, is part of the bundle of initiatives launched recently by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.