Dubai allocates Dh500m to improve neighbourhoods

Dubai: The Dubai Council has allocated Dh500 million to improve the quality of life for citizens in residential neighbourhoods across Dubai, based on their ideas and suggestions.

The allocation was approved during the council’s third meeting chaired yesterday (Tuesday) by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Shaikh Mohammad has ordered the settlement of defaults on housing loans of 422 Emiratis, and exempted all citizens from fees for housing mortgage loans. He also issued instructions to exempt citizens from fees for connecting electricity to their new homes, providing that the cost of building their homes does not exceed Dh4 million.

“Our Life” campaign will soon be launched by the Dubai Council on various media outlets and social media platforms to solicit citizens’ ideas about community amenities aiming at helping improve the quality of life in residential neighbourhoods within Dubai. Citizens are invited to share their ideas and suggestions via a platform on Dubaicouncil.ae .

A platform will be dedicated to receiving citizens’ ideas and suggestions about amenities, parks, squares and facilities they want to be available in their neighbourhoods.

These ideas and suggestions will be evaluated to select the best projects and embark on their implementation.

The decisions aim to achieve the highest levels of stability and social wellbeing for Emiratis in the emirate, and provide them with everything they need to ensure their satisfaction and happiness in all service areas.

12 councils

The council approved the setting up of 12 neighbourhood councils to be managed by boards of experienced retirees, with an aim to submit suggestions about events and initiatives that help improve the quality of life in their neighbourhoods. The neighbourhood councils will serve as platforms for citizens to meet, network and share their ideas, perceptions and aspirations about their events, initiatives and plans to develop their neighbourhoods and upscale all community services and programmes, in a manner that ensures their social wellbeing and stability.

The Commissioner of Citizens’ Services has been instructed to restructure the community system.

Shaikh Mohammad said: “We ordered the setting up of integrated councils across Dubai’s neighbourhoods to serve as a meeting place for citizens to get together and engage in social events and occasions. Mattar Al Tayer, Commissioner of Infrastructure, Urban Planning and Quality of Life, has been assigned to follow up on the setting up of the councils, which will be responsible for proposing and organising social, economic and traditional events. They will also submit citizens’ ideas and suggestions to the council, and present their perceptions about ways to improve the quality of life in these neighbourhoods.

“These are our decisions today at the Dubai Council, and the next will be better. The UAE citizen will remain our top priority...The Emirati citizen is the first priority. The citizen is the second priority. The citizen is the third priority, as we always repeat,” Shaikh Mohammad said.

Dubai Council’s key decisions