Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has approved a new strategy for building permit procedures in Dubai.

According to a report by WAM, the strategy will ensure the speeding up of the processes of acquiring building permits from concerned government entities.

The new strategy has been set up by Dubai’s Committee for Building Permit Procedures Development and it aims to enhance the emirate’s positioning as a city where the active building and construction sector plays an important role in its economic development.

Designed to assist investors in the real estate sector, the strategy is built on three key pillars. The first is developing and streamlining permit procedures; the second is unifying systems and requirements; the third is providing a ‘one-stop-shop’ that will allow all the procedures and processes to be completed.

This approach provides a comprehensive scheme that will ensure that the processes of acquiring permits is sped up across all stages.

Daoud AbdulRahman Al Hajri, assistant director general of Dubai Municipality of Engineering and Planning, and head of the Committee, said that the new strategy reflects the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and will enhance customers’ happiness and save them time and effort, creating a stimulating environment that promotes Dubai’s investment climate.

As for the strategy preparation process, Al Hajri noted that since its formation in February 2017, the Committee held several meetings and workshops with the concerned stakeholders to discuss the various details of acquiring building permits.

Four teams have been formed by the Committee to conduct detailed research and studies, he added.

The first team will work on developing the new building regulations based on the feedback gathered from customers, contractors and consultancies. Meanwhile, the second team’s scope of work includes licensing the consultancy and contracting companies based on standards that will ensure considering the permit’s conditions and requirements.

The third team is concerned with selecting building materials to study its technical specifications and ensure its compliance with the standard specifications then register them. Finally, the fourth team will study and analyse the bids submitted by IT companies to develop the intended electronic payment system.