BAHRAIN will soon start construction of its first “green town” after new government plans were unveiled recently. Blueprints for the town project include government houses, schools, a library, a theatre, a health centre, natural sanctuaries, a botanical garden and public parks, in addition to luxurious villas and eco-friendly commercial and office buildings which will be built on private plots. Bus stations, new road works and pedestrian walkways will also be built along with a railway station for the project, which will link Bahrain and other GCC countries through a $25-billion 2,117-km rail network.

The new town will cover 356 hectares – 174 hectares in the Northern Governorate and 182 in the Capital Governorate – and will include parts of Bilad Al Qadeem, Khamis, Adhari, Salhiya, Tashan and Burhama.