Manama: Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA) has enhanced its property freeze and unfreeze services as part of ongoing government efforts to improve and streamline service delivery.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the freeze service allows government entities to temporarily restrict a property or group of properties affected by development or planning projects, while the unfreeze service enables the removal of such restrictions in coordination with relevant authorities, allowing property owners to proceed with construction in line with approved classifications.
Under the upgraded system, processing times for property freeze requests have been reduced from 15 days to four days, and unfreeze requests from 12 days to nine, alongside a reduction of up to 50 percent in required documents and approvals.
Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Khayyat, CEO of UPDA, emphasised that these improvements reflect the adoption of innovative digital solutions to accelerate procedures, enhance efficiency, and improve service quality, reducing time and effort for institutions.
The Authority has also documented, translated, and published over 1,300 government services, with 800 re-engineered across various sectors, incorporating feedback from The National Suggestion and Complaints System (Tawasul), investor input, and mystery shopper reports, supported by service guides and service level agreements. These initiatives aim to enhance procedural efficiency, service quality, and citizen experience, supporting Bahrain's digital government transformation.