“It is not possible that Jeddah will lose its historical center,” the prince said at a committee meeting to discuss the development of the historical district at the local SCTA office on Wednesday.
Officials from the SCTA, the municipality and the company entrusted with the development of the area participated in the meeting.
“This is the time for action, not for talk,” the prince said, adding that agreements between the municipality and the company needed to be signed quickly.
Discussions at the meeting focused on the company’s plan regarding the development of the project and the municipality’s support, including the supply of technical and consultancy staff.
Prince Sultan said the meeting was conducted under the directives of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also chairman of the Higher Committee for the Development of Historical Jeddah.
The project also had the support of all government departments in line with an order of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, he said.
He also commended the cooperation of both the public and private sectors for the project.
The meeting discussed all issues related to the project, including ways to surmount potential obstacles faced by the developers, the prince said.
“The historical center of Jeddah deserves a lot from us. The leadership has always been interested in the development of the historical area, just as it took an interest in the development of Jeddah as whole, implementing many projects.
“We also hope that the concern of the property owners in the zone will be in keeping with the wishes of the leadership so that all obstacles will disappear and work starts without further delay,” the prince said.
“We hope that the reaction of the owners will not be temporary, as interest died down when they heard the news that the nomination to make the area a UNESCO World Heritage Site was withdrawn. The historical city deserves people’s continuous attention,” he said.
