Bahrain’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has signed an agreement with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) for the implementation of the third phase of the Sitra housing project in the kingdom.

Under the agreement, CMEC will construct 1,269 new housing units at a total cost of BD119 million ($314 million). The third phase, which will include secondary infrastructure services, commences in Q1 2025.

This phase is the largest in terms of housing units and the final phase of the Sitra housing project in the construction timeline, said Amna bint Ahmed Al Rumaihi, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, at the signing ceremony held in the presence of Wang Bo, the Director of the Board of Directors of CMEC.

The Sitra Housing Project stands as a model of integrated urban development, seamlessly blending residential units with expansive green spaces, advanced road networks, waterfronts, cycling and pedestrian paths, and a comprehensive array of service, educational, health, and commercial facilities – all designed to elevate the standard of living.

The minister said the third phase will span 670,000 sq m and feature a 23.6-km-long main and secondary road network in addition to 22.8 km sewage network and 27.6 km rainwater drainage network.It will include 36 substations, six telecom towers, and various service facilities like a shopping mall, five commercial centres, three schools, a cultural centre, an auditorium, and a child development centre.

The signing of this agreement comes just three months after the inauguration of the second phase, which included 531 housing units, she stated.

This reflects the ministry’s dedicated efforts to accelerate the completion of housing projects, following the delivery of 1,077 units in the first phase, she added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning has announced that it has received 12 bids from top engineering consultants – including Kuwait-based Dar SSH and UAE’s Al-Ittihad Engineering Company and Khatib and Alami as well as Bahraini groups Gulf House Engineering, Tashreeq Engineering, Mohammed Salah Al-Din Engineering Consultations and Adel Ahmadi Associates – in response to the request for proposals (RFP) for the third phase of East Sitra Housing Project in the kingdom.

The others in the list of bidders are Urban Vision Company, City Engineering, Phoenix Engineering Services and Al Ansari Engineering Services.

The winning bidder will carry out the contract management supervision of the construction work of the East Sitra Housing Project. The scope of the project includes construction of a total of 531 residential units along with associated secondary and primary infrastructure.

East Sitra Housing complex is being built on a reclaimed island of 253.4 hectares connected to the Sheikh Jaber Sitra Highway by two main accesses located on the western plot boundary. On completion, the project will boast 3,000 affordable housing units for citizens.