Warraq Island residents continue to hold firm to the “house for a house” demand, a proposal they have presented over the past years to the bodies managing the file, calling for the allocation of approximately 300 feddans of land inside the island on which to build and remain without leaving. The proposal has not received acceptance.<\/p>\n
In what appears to be a shift in the official position, residents who spoke to Zawia3 confirmed that officials in charge of managing the file expressed, during a meeting with residents’ representatives, their readiness to discuss the proposal and respond in the near future.<\/p>\n
During the most recent meeting held last Thursday, island residents presented a comprehensive vision for the proposal, with an engineering plan, demanding that the government provide the necessary land and fair compensation for residents, guaranteeing everyone’s right to remain inside the island.<\/p>\n
Hajj Ibrahim Fawzi, one of Warraq Island’s residents, told Zawia3 that the “house for a house” proposal was presented to officials, who expressed their readiness to discuss and respond to it, explaining that residents do not reject the development of the island, but want it to proceed in a way that preserves their right to remain on their land.<\/p>\n
He explains that the part the state has allocated for residents can be planned in the same way the rest of the island is being planned, divided into land plots, so that residents deal with the state according to a clear system, ultimately achieving the same level of development and ensuring benefit for both parties: the state completes its development, and residents settle in their homes.<\/p>\n
Fawzi affirms that residents’ rejection is not absolute toward apartments, explaining that some accept living in them, but the majority of residents, in his estimation, prefer independent homes because they are accustomed to this style of living and wish to preserve their privacy. He adds that there are also those who accept receiving compensation and leaving the island.<\/p>\n
The “house for a house” proposal that the majority of island residents hold to operates, according to Fawzi, on the basis that a citizen whose home falls within the development plan has their home assessed, and after their consent they hand the land over to the state and receive in exchange a plot of land inside the island in the area allocated for residents’ housing, fully serviced, planned, numbered, and carrying an official contract. They build their home on it according to state conditions and licenses.<\/p>\n
The state pays the citizen compensation for the structure, meaning the buildings only, as the land is exchanged for land. The citizen does not surrender their old home until they have finished building their new home and moved into it, with the possibility of retaining whatever they wish to keep from the old home.<\/p>\n
Fawzi says that implementing the proposal can proceed in parallel with the development of the rest of the island: while the state continues implementing its projects, it simultaneously begins planning the area allocated for residents, the citizen receives their land plot and builds their home, then surrenders the old house, making the land available for development without dispute or delay.<\/p>\n
He argues that the area allocated for residents must not be left without planning, but that the locations of plots, their sizes, and the streets must be determined from the outset, allowing the commencement of services implementation and facilitating progress. He notes that owners of homes located along street routes or conflicting with the development plan could be among the first to receive land plots, allowing a replacement and renewal process to be implemented according to the model determined by the state, affirming the necessity of accompanying this with the facilitation of construction materials entry and the provision of engineering supervision.<\/p>\n
Fawzi indicates that the area allocated for residents, approximately 300 feddans, may be sufficient to accommodate various cases. He proposes excluding the Nile setback for 200 meters from the waterline and designating it a green path and public corniche garden where construction is prohibited.<\/p>\n
The proposal<\/a>, part of which Fawzi published on his Facebook page, includes a road network beginning with a main longitudinal axis 30 meters wide dividing the project in two and connecting to the expressway to the south, a transverse axis reaching the Nile corniche, alongside secondary and local streets and roundabout intersections. The vision divides housing into three categories of plots: 1,848 plots of 150 square meters, 1,386 plots of 175 square meters, and 825 plots of 210 square meters, totaling approximately 4,059 residential plots that Fawzi estimates sufficient for approximately 20,000 people, with a proposed plot numbering system facilitating ownership and utilities procedures.<\/p>\n The vision also includes the distribution of services: two primary schools, a preparatory school, and a secondary school; a central hospital of 5,000 square meters in the center of the project; a youth center of 3,500 square meters adjacent to the commercial market; two commercial markets; four mosques; a central garden of 2.8 feddans; a neighborhood garden of 0.9 feddans; and a Nile corniche 1.2 kilometers long.<\/p>\n \n Clashes in Al-Waraq: 90,000 Residents Reject Forced Eviction<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n