المملكة: 60 days to approve residential plans.. “Mecca Property” launches a new land division guide

Revealed Quality of life and raising the efficiency of infrastructure, in line with the goals of comprehensive development in the Holy City of Makkah and the comprehensive plan for the city.

The document indicated that the geographical application scope includes development projects, new plans, and additions within the direct supervisory scope of the Royal Commission, explicitly excluding the “central area” and the “holy feelings area” from these standards.

The draft guide indicated the development of Accurate standards for various land areas, starting from plots of less than 10,000 square metres, up to large holdings exceeding two million square metres, specifying the package of public services required for each urban category.

The Authority stressed the necessity of deducting 33.33% as a free regulatory planning percentage from the total planned area to provide streets, parks, and parking lots, in addition to allocating 1% to the Authority as a reserve for future urban development.

The technical details touched on the classification Urban development areas for several homogeneous categories, including old urban areas “pre-1973”, flat and mountainous areas, and valley areas, in addition to logistical, industrial and development areas, with building requirements that are compatible with the nature of each area.

The planning guide pointed to the adoption of four basic patterns appropriate to the nature of the Holy Capital, including the “organic pattern” adapted to the mountainous terrain and valleys, the “cluster pattern”, and the “network”, And the “strip pattern” designated for mixed uses on the main axes.

The new standards set the widths of residential streets at a minimum starting from 15 meters for low-density areas, up to wide sectors of 40 meters in areas of public services, hospitals and universities, to ensure the flow of traffic and pedestrian safety.

The Authority obligated developers to provide in-depth detailed studies before approval, including topographic analysis, flood stream paths, and environmental impacts, as well as presenting at least three planning alternatives for each project, to support sustainable design decisions.

In the context of governance, the guide introduced three updated paths to accelerate the approval of private residential land subdivision plans within 60 days, ranging from initial approval and gradual emptying, and final approval before implementation, or selling all plots before Implementation.

The draft warned against any attempts to divide the plots of land approved later, stressing the need to establish the condition of indivisibility as a mandatory note within the final plan cliche, to maintain the prescribed population densities.

The Authority concluded its document by emphasizing that the guide is subject to continuous updating every three years, to keep pace with rapid urban changes, while retaining all intellectual property rights for the publication and its regulatory contents.