Egypt’s Supreme Council for Planning and Urban Development has approved allocating 15,000 acres for setting up a new city in the Upper Egypt governorate of Minya, dubbed “New Bani Mazar,” aiming to develop an urban community that hosts distinct types of residences, Invest-Gate reports.

Nestled in the west bank of the Nile River, New Bani Mazar will encompass a diverse range of residential properties, ranging from distinguished to middle-income and affordable housing, all complemented with infrastructure works, utilities, services, and various activities, Cabinet Spokesman Nader Saad said in a ministerial statement on August 6.

This came during a meeting headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, in the presence of Minister of Planning and Administrative Reforms Hala El Saeed, Local Development Minister Mahmoud Sharawy, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Assem El Gazzar, alongside Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Ezzeddin Abu Steit.

During the meeting, the council also agreed on the transport ministry’s request to alter the utilization of nine plots in Cairo, Alexandria, and some eastern governorates, owned by the Holding Company for Roads, Bridges, and Land Transportation Projects, from industrial to mixed urban use (residential, commercial, and recreational).

In addition, the petition of Egyptian Company for Real Estate Asset Management and Investment to change the usage of some land owned by the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and Banque Misr, and are being managed by the former firm, has been approved. Under the new amendments, land activities of 15 parcels in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Beheira, Kafr El-Sheikh, Minya, and Assiut will be shifted from industrial to mixed use (residential, commercial, administrative, and entertainment).

The council also sanctioned the establishment of National Project for Poultry Investment across nine zones in Egypt, varying in sizes between 6,000 to 8,000 square meters, notably Luxor, New Valley, North Sinai, and Qena, coming in line with the state’s efforts to develop livestock, and in view of the project’s significance.