No park to spare, and nowhere to hold a wedding

Hoorat Sanad is short of parks. It is also short of anywhere to hold a wedding. That is the problem behind a proposal the Housing Ministry has just turned down.

The Southern Municipal Council had asked for a park in Block 645 to be reallocated for an events hall. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning replied that it could not approve the change.

The site is an existing park inside the boundaries of the area's housing project, the ministry said. A study of the surrounding area found it lacking in parks serving residents, which makes keeping this one consistent with the planning and service needs of the site.

Councillor Mohammed Darraj said, residents of Hoorat Sanad and the areas around it need an events hall nearby.

Families holding an occasion must travel to another area, he said, as the nearest events hall is northeast of Tubli, near the Bahrain map monument.

A multi-purpose hall would give residents a social facility within reach, he argued, and spare them the cost and inconvenience of travelling and renting somewhere outside the area.

The aim of the proposal is to meet residents' needs, Darraj said, and suitable alternatives can be examined that still protect the planning requirements of the area.