The Interior Ministry has issued directives to the Jeddah Municipality to take legal action against warehouse and workshops owners illegally operating on Housing Ministry-owned land.

Authorities had noted the dilapilated and worn out state of the area where most of these workshops and warehouse are located and the lack to safety requirements at these shops, making the area a big fire hazard.

Sources did not reveal the land area encroached, but confirmed that the Civil Defense had made several observations during inspection rounds, including new moves made by both tenants and investors in the area. The market offers blacksmith, carpentry, plumbing, mechanical and other services, while many of these workshops have been constructed with cheap-quality material.

Facilities were found to be old and dilapilated and streets between the shops narrow.

The Civil Defense also spotted several large warehouses without any safety equipment whatsoever. “There were several new constructions that had been erected without any regard to safety or sustainability,” said sources.

Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed recently issued directives to facilitate the operation of new industrial workshops in Usfan. Prince Mishaal emphasized that a unified and systematic approach would lead to full integration and enhanced productivity between these workshops.

“There is no turning back on the move to relocate the random workshop area south of the airport to a more suitable, better equipped site,” he said. “We are very serious about this issue and we have been blessed with many new pending projects in the area,” he said.

The new Usfan integrated site is being developed by the Jeddah Development & Urban Regeneration Company as a replacement for the current site in the Al-Nuzha industrial area.