Plots nearby ‘new city’ to be distributed to civil servants, military retirees

AMMAN — The government is looking into a project to distribute plots of lands to civil servants and military retirees in areas adjacent to the new city that the government is planning to build in Amman, a government officials said on Monday.

The plots of lands, located close to the new city that scheduled to be built in Amman’s Al Madouna area, will “either be distributed for free or in exchange for nominal fees in line with specific conditions”, the official told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday.

“Currently, we are looking at plots of land owned by the Treasury in the area and we are studying conditions that civil servants and military retirees need to meet to benefit from the scheme,” the source said, citing one of the conditions as being the requirement to build on the plot of land without selling it or transferring its ownership to others.

Last year, the government announced a mega scheme aimed at building a new city 30 kilometres away from Amman and from Zarqa. Plans for a new highway will also allow the new town to be only 33 km away from the Queen Alia International Airport.

Expected to finish by 2030, the first phase of the project is estimated to cover 39sq.km, representing some 10 per cent of the scheme’s total area, which is planned to conclude in 2050, according to the government.

“Our objective is to enhance the living conditions of citizens and provide them with a chance to own appropriate houses… The idea is also to reduce the pressure on Amman,” the official said, noting that “the details of the plan to distribute lands will be announced this year”.

The government expects the population of Amman and Zarqa to reach about 10 million by 2050.

The new city is planned to be a “smart and sustainable city that will be equipped with all the needed infrastructure and services, adopting a long-term urban planning system with a vision that leaves the door open for further future development”, according to the government, which stressed that it will be financed and implemented in cooperation with the public and private sectors. 

Developers from the private sector will rehabilitate the location and lay infrastructures under a build-operate-transfer formula with financing secured from local, regional and international financial companies and banks, officials said.