JEDDAH, 25 May 2005 — Residents of Bani Malik district in Jeddah are concerned about their children’s safety and health due to the recent opening of two illegal garages and storage facilities near their schools. Such businesses are supposedly not allowed near schools because of the traffic and noise they create.
“The two garages just opened a few weeks ago and one of them is across the street from a girls’ school. There are many cars especially limousines in the areas and they create noise and pollution,” said Muhammad Al-Harbi.
Another resident complained that the garages were clearly a violation of zoning laws but added that this was typical in the district which suffers from official neglect. The residents allege that these businesses probably opened with the required permit.
“The permits for schools are issued by the municipality through the special planning department which determines the regulations and standards for issuing the permit,” said Hatim Al-Saigh, head of projects and maintenance department at the Education Administration, Makkah Region.
“In planning new schools, the municipality decides on the appropriate location based on certain things including that it is near houses, away from major streets and that it is far from any danger, noise, pollution and traffic congestion caused by businesses such as garages, gas stations and storage facilities,” he told Arab News.
The same thing applies to rented school buildings which, according to the latest statistics, account for 45 percent of school buildings.
“When we evaluate a building to be rented, besides taking into consideration all the previous requirements regarding location, we also have to look at the building’s environment, its size and make sure that it meets all safety measures before we apply to the municipality for a permit. Then the municipality does its own evaluation,” he explained.
It is the job of the municipality to check on zoning violations and make sure that businesses without permits are closed down. “The school principal informs us of any violations and we file a notice with the municipality which is just as concerned as we are about these matters,” he said.
