The Shoura Council has asked the Ministry of Housing to finalize a mechanism for acquiring housing units, pieces of land and loans within three months.

Fahad Al-Hamad, assistant to the council chairman, said the council’s demand came after listening to views voiced by the Housing, Water, and Public Services Commission at the council regarding the annual report drafted by the Ministry of Housing for the current fiscal year.

The council voted by majority that the Ministry of Housing should establish a national company through the Public Investments Fund, with contributions from investment funds, to be a technical and planning arm that works on land development and infrastructure, as well as provides solutions in design and building.

The council also demanded that the Ministry of Housing work with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to establish a schedule for the delivery of land grants.

It also called upon the ministry to provide a regulatory framework for the planning of housing neighborhoods. It stressed that the ministry should adopt the principles of safety and public health, enhance family ties and establish quality control standards for design and construction to solve the problems created by individuals building houses on their own.

It said: “We want to establish the sustainability of the prudent use of water and energy. We want neighborhoods to exhibit various housing densities and affordable housing for the various sections of the population.”

The council also discussed the annual report of the General Foundation of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center for the current fiscal year.

The Commission for Health Affairs and Environment made a number of comments on the report. The council voted by majority that the foundation should highlight the annual operational objectives and show how far these objectives were completed in comparison with the operational objective for the year.