Muscat: The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (Opaz) has awarded a consortium of an Omani and a Saudi companies a tender to provide consulting services (design and supervision of infrastructure facilities) for the first phase of Al Dhahirah Governorate’s Integrated Economic Zone.
The first phase of the project has an area of 20 square kilometres, of which 6.5 square kilometres will be implemented as a preliminary phase that includes a land port to be managed and operated by Asyad Group provided that the remaining part of the zone’s lands be developed for future expansions to keep pace with requirements of all economic sectors.
Eng. Yahya Khamis Al Zedjali, Adviser to OPAZ Chairman for Planning, said that the tender’s tasks include detailed designs for infrastructure facilities, the preparation of tender documents for construction works and the supervision, completion, operation and delivery of the project.
The tender also includes the supervision of the land port, road networks, electricity and communication services, water and irrigation networks, a sewage network, a gas network, solid waste management, administrative buildings and landscaping works.
The Integrated Economic Zone in Al Dhahirah Governorate is located about 20 kilometres from the Rub-el-Khali border crossing to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The zone is also about 100 kilometres away from the Ibri Industrial City project.
Engineer Yahya added: The establishment of the zone was motivated by several goals, including optimising the advantages of its strategic border location with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, boosting intra-regional trade between the two nations, bolstering development initiatives and economic diversification, opening up new markets for the Omani economy as well as the Gulf economy, and reaping the benefits of the competitive elements.
Newry City Park plans have taken a significant step forward with the appointment of an Integrated Consultancy Team.
Tetra Tech has been appointed by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, and as the Integrated Consultancy Team their role will be to take the project through detailed design, planning approval, contractor appointment and delivery on site through to completion by May 2027.
The 15-Acre development at the Albert Basin site will provide a world class park for the residents of Newry.
The project provides a significant space for the community and aims to improve the health, fitness and wellbeing of residents, whilst increasing the number of visitors to Newry.
The appointment was enabled after the Council’s Outline Business Case (OBC) for the park was approved by the Department for Communities and a Contract for Funding issued in December last year.
This opened access to £16.2 million from the Executive’s Complementary fund through the Department for Communities. The Council is also underwriting £2.4 million to deliver a 15-acre City Park as part of Phase One.
A temporary community space at the Newry City Park site also opened officially in December following an award of £220,000 from the Department for Communities.
The funding allowed an upgrade of part of the Albert Basin site for temporary community use while work progresses on Newry City Park.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Cllr Valerie Harte, said: “The appointment of an Integrated Consultancy Team is a landmark phase of the project that will see detailed survey and design work getting underway at the Albert Basin site.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in the work leading up to and during this procurement process, enabling us to attract the highest calibre of talent to match the ambition we have for Newry City Park. I and many other residents were excited by the recently released concept designs and I look forward to Tetra Tech progressing this vision and undertaking the detailed work required to bring Newry City Park to life.”
Co-chairs of the Newry City Centre Regeneration Programme Board, Councillor Declan Murphy and Councillor Cllr Doire Finn, said in a statement: “We congratulate Tetra Tech on the appointment to a project that is at the heart of our ambitious regeneration plans for Newry City Centre. Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards getting the project to this milestone, including community representatives who sit on the Newry City Park Stakeholder Group for their ongoing engagement.”
Darren Price, Associate Director of Project Management at Tetra Tech, said: “We are delighted to be appointed as the Integrated Consultancy Team. Tetra Tech recognises the potential of the Albert Basin location and looks forward to bringing its expertise and experience on board to the Newry City Park project, which has the potential to reinvigorate the city centre as part of a wider transformation of Newry.”
In September 2023 the Council released new visuals for Phase One of the park development, a Newry City Centre Regeneration project, incorporating changing places facilities, an inclusive play park, a sensory garden, an outdoor event space, water and urban sports areas, a plaza area for artisan markets and pop-up vending locations. These are complemented by green space, woodland areas, walking, cycling and running paths, with the park also upgrading links to Victoria Lock and the Greenway.
Main image: At the site of the planned 15-acre Newry City Park are (from left): Michael Graham, Director of Planning, Tetra Tech; Co-chair of the Newry City Centre Regeneration Programme Board, Cllr Declan Murphy; Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Cllr Valerie Harte; Darren Price, Associate Director of Project Management, Tetra Tech; Marie Ward, Chief Executive, NMDDC; Gerard Murray, Director, Regional Development, Department for Communities, and Paul Tamati, Assistant Director of Leisure and Sport. Tetra Tech has been appointed by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council as the Integrated Consultancy Team. Their role will be to take the project through detailed design, planning approval, contractor appointment and delivery on site.
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A MORAY firm has been named Scotland’s best estate agent.
Elgin firm CCL Property, operated by husband and wife directors David and Coralie Pickering, was recognised for the quality of both commercial and residential offerings.
With bases in both Elgin and Edinburgh, the firm came out on top through a rigorous series of cold call and mystery shopping organised by the British Property Awards.
Winning the 2023 regional gold award for Scotland, the success builds upon last years triumph when they were named the top estate agent in Elgin.
The win coincides with a period of expansion for CCL, with a move to set up a Glasgow base currently in the pipeline.
Coralie explained that CCL’s residential portfolio is centred on the Moray area, while their commercial offer spans the country.
The firm were told they had won the prestigious award in the last call received before the Christmas break, she added.
“We never really know what they are doing or when they are doing it with the judging,” she said.
“We are just constantly checking our phones for the news to come in.
“It was a nice phone phone call to get.”
David added: “It is fantastic, given that the award area is across the whole of Scotland.
“We have done well in expanding, along with the operations in Elgin, where we are now going into the expansion into Glasgow.
“And a very nice way to end 2023 and start 2024.”
For more information, visit CCL Property’s website here.
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MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman’s strategic urban development plan continues to progress with the Muscat Metro project, currently in its preliminary phase as consultancy studies are slated for completion by year-end.
During remarks on Sunday, Eng. Saeed bin Hamoud bin Saeed Al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology (MTCIT), said, “The ongoing studies concerning the Muscat Metro are on track for completion by the end of this year.”
The proposed metro line, requiring an investment of OMR1 billion, is envisioned to stretch over 55km and encompass 42 passenger stations.
It’s worth noting that MTCIT initiated the financial bidding process for the first consultancy study (phase-1 pre-feasibility outline) for the Muscat Metro last year.
The Muscat Metro’s primary objectives include alleviating traffic congestion, enhancing the city’s appeal to tourists, and establishing an efficient mass transit system connecting the commercial centers of Ruwi and Muttrah to Seeb in the west, with an additional branch to the airport and integration with other public transportation modes.
Additionally, the metro project aims to contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing the city’s carbon footprint.
The enhancement of the public transport infrastructure aligns with the Ministry’s ambitious Greater Muscat Development Plan, aimed at accommodating the anticipated population growth, fostering investment, improving transportation networks, enhancing service quality, bolstering infrastructure, and preserving the environment.
Al Mawali also disclosed ongoing studies for a railway link between Oman and Saudi Arabia, while the joint railway endeavour between Oman and the UAE (Sohar-Abu Dhabi) is slated for implementation within the year, alongside the formulation of relevant legislation.
The landmark Muscat Metro project was initially announced in 2021, with the current phase of tendering primarily focusing on the pre-feasibility stage and soliciting support for critical decision-making from the Ministry.
Furthermore, the Ministry has commissioned an impact study to evaluate the socio economic advantages of the project for the Muscat governorate and broader economy, ensuring the long-term viability of the proposed metro system.
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Aberdeenshire Council have confirmed that are about to formally appoint a specialist structural consultancy to undertake an assessment of Aboyne Bridge.
A spokesperson for the council said: “This vital element of investigatory work into the concrete disintegration in the structure’s top deck will help us to consider all options for Aboyne Bridge.
“We are currently concluding the procurement process and we hope to get the team on-site as soon as possible.
“As part of the process, our Bridges team has provided drawings, photographs and descriptions of its own invasive investigations so the consultants are suitably briefed and can begin their assessments quickly.
“From our own initial investigations, however, it’s clear that the bridge is in a very poor condition and that the cost of any reconstruction or replacement will be significant.”
Meantime, officers and councillors will be attending a community drop-in session being hosted by Mid Deeside Community Council on Wednesday, February 21 at the Aboyne Scout Hut from 2.30pm-7pm.
The event will be an open meeting with no fixed agenda where people can drop in to get information and pass information back in respect of the impacts of the closure.
A reminder that Aboyne Bridge – which carries the B968 Bridgeview Road over the River Dee – remains under an 18-month closure.
It is still in use for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised forms of transport only, and it is our hope that this can continue during the period of the closure.
The diversion for vehicles is via Dinnet Bridge (B9158 road).
A spokesperson for the council said: “We would once again take this opportunity to thank the communities of Birse, Aboyne and surrounding areas for their patience and understanding during the current closure.”
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In many neighbouring countries, real estate has lost value in recent months, in some cases significantly. Not so in Switzerland. However, the boom is likely to be over here soon as well.
In Germany, for example, transaction prices for residential property have fallen by almost 10% in the last twelve months as a result of the turnaround in interest rates. In Switzerland, on the other hand, there was a further increase of 4.9%, as the property consultancy IAZI reported on Tuesday.
According to IAZI, the reasons for this are the positive economic environment in Switzerland, low inflation and lower interest rates compared to other countries, as well as full employment and immigration.
No signs of a “seller’s market”
As a result, fewer and fewer people can afford to buy their own home. A typical detached house according to IAZI criteria currently costs over CHF3 million in the canton of Zurich and just under CHF3 million ($3.33 million) in Geneva. To fulfil the affordability guidelines, a household would have to earn more than CHF300,000.
However, according to the Federal Statistical Office, only 17.5% of the working population earn a gross income of more than CHF104,000. This means that in many parts of Switzerland, the dream of owning a home can hardly be realised. Demand is therefore very low.
IAZI mentions the decline in new mortgages taken out by private households as a further sign of an end to price growth. However, the slowdown is taking place at a very high property price level.
However, there are still no signs of an actual “seller’s market”. The current interest rates are still acceptable and would not force anyone to sell their own four walls. This means that anyone who wants to sell has time.
Fewer transactions
Nevertheless, according to the IAZI, the number of transactions has fallen massively from its peak during the coronavirus boom in 2021 to 2023. In central Switzerland, eastern and south-eastern Switzerland, parts of Ticino and parts of French-speaking Switzerland, the number of transactions fell by between 10% and 40% in one year. At the same time, properties were advertised on the platforms for longer.
High offer rates (3% and more) for single-family homes are primarily found in French-speaking Switzerland, Ticino and the Jura. Only in Zurich, around Lake Zurich and in parts of central Switzerland is there still a shortage of advertised single-family homes, with a rate of less than 1%.
The supply of condominiums is still very tight. There is a shortage here not only in Zurich, Bern, parts of Central Switzerland and Eastern Switzerland. Even in Ticino and French-speaking Switzerland, the supply rates are only just above 1.4%. Given the current rise in interest rates, smaller properties are now increasingly in demand.
Tenants have to dig deep into their pockets
Tenants are also facing generally higher prices. Advertised asking rents have risen sharply over the last five years, particularly in Zug (9.5%), Zurich (6.3%) and Bern (4.7%). The average increase in rents in Switzerland is 4.4%.
As a result of the turnaround in interest rates, existing tenants now also have to pay more. Landlords can pass on the increase in the mortgage reference interest rate and therefore increase rents. In addition, 40% of inflation and annual flat-rate costs of around 0.5% can be passed on to tenants. According to IAZI, many tenants will probably have to recalculate their budgets for 2024.
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