A total of 2,576 building permits were issued in the first quarter of 2019 in Bahrain, marking an increase of 4.2 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2018 and reflecting a positive growth in the construction sector, said a report.

 

During Q1 2019, the Municipal One Stop Shop issued 192 building permits for investment projects worth BD179 million ($474.81 million) covering an estimated 652,000 sq m of land. 

 

Key licensed projects include the expansion of the Bahrain International Airport and the second phase of Al-Dur Water and Power Project, said Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Engineer Essam Khalaf.

 

He emphasised that the increase in building permits for investment projects is indicative of a robust, resilient and investment-friendly economy of the kingdom.

 

He also highlighted the vital role of the Benayat system in accelerating the issuance of building permits to investors. 

 

Engineer Khalaf noted that within a short period, 88 building permits had been issued using the Benayat system, with an average processing time of three working days and not exceeding the five-working day mark. Of those permits, 76 per cent classified as residential projects, while the remaining 24  per cent are predominantly made up of investment and special projects.

 

He added that Benayat has not only helped to issue building permits more efficiently, it has also provided the ability to monitor, manage and evaluate building permit services, hence increasing the construction sector’s competitiveness regionally and globally.