The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has introduced a new regulatory mechanism that allows citizens to move lampposts that obstruct the entrances of their homes. The step aims to remove obstacles, ensure safety and ease of access, while maintaining the efficiency of public lighting networks.

The regulations defined three tracks for dealing with residential plans, including new plans, existing ones still under implementation, and those fully implemented.

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The ministry obligated the entities responsible for designing plans, whether municipalities or real estate developers, to consider placing the poles between land divisions to avoid obstructing entrances.

Adherence to Terms and Specifications

The mechanism stressed the necessity of adherence of lighting designs to the terms and specifications in the Saudi Road Code 306 and the Saudi Building Code. The ministry directed municipalities to include the approved lighting plan as a geospatial layer in the Balady platform, and to circulate it to engineering offices to commit to the pole locations. In case there are technical or planning justifications that require the pole to remain in front of the entrance, the ministry allowed property owners to submit an official request to the municipality to change its location. Submitting the request requires attaching the certified ownership document, a drawing showing the location of the pole and the entrance, in addition to an official power of attorney if the applicant is not the owner. The regulations stipulated for the second and third tracks, related to existing plans whether implemented or under implementation, the addition of photographs showing the location of the lamp post relative to the entrance as part of the application requirements. All applications are subject to study by the competent municipality or municipality for evaluation and decision. The ministry explained that if the request is approved, the new location of the lamp post is determined according to the approved codes. It emphasized that if not approved, the competent authority is obligated to clearly explain the technical or planning reasons for rejection to the beneficiary before closing the request.