The Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities (DPM) issued on August 29 a legislation to regulate the construction of private villas in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Invest-Gate reports.

The new regulations come in line with Abu Dhabi Government Accelerators Program, dubbed “Ghadan 21” (Tomorrow 21), aiming to review the current infrastructure policies and cut construction costs for landowners, according to a recent press release.

Coming heeding to feedback from landlords requesting more flexible spatial requirements, the legislation was drafted after a series of workshops with DPM teams, including engineers from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra municipalities, alongside other relevant authorities. Accordingly, DPM has amended building codes in a way that reduces the minimum size of bedrooms, kitchens, as well as, dining and seating areas.

“[Under the new bill,] landowners will no longer have to construct a hallway in their new home, and the maximum height for side fences has now been lowered from six to four meters, all of which will reduce the cost of construction. The new legislation also allows landowners to build extensions to their properties overlooking a street,” read the statement.

Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed, executive director of DPM’s Strategic Affairs Sector, said, “The legislation will lower building costs for landowners, provide practical and modern solutions that can be easily applied, speed up the delivery of housing projects, and improve residents’ quality of life.”

Further, DPM released on September 2 a new digital platform, called “My Land,” allowing the public to identify land use, locate available spots, and identify potential opportunities in Abu Dhabi. All users can reach it via https://myland.dpm.gov.abudhabi/, while landowners can access their plot using the QR code on their official site plan.