The Ministry of Housing will not seize land from any owners in New Obour City, said Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly, reported Invest Gate.

Madbouly held a meeting with representatives of the entities and associations with properties in the newly decreed area designated as New Obour City, to reconcile  land ownership conditions with the Presidential Decree No  249 of 2016.

“We will not seize any land from any of the current owners, but we will not allow any informal settlements,” Madbouly said. “We are currently in the process of regulating  land activity of the region, to transform it from agriculture activity into urban activity.”

The Armed Forces is the sole owner of six sites within the new city, spread over an area of 13,770 acres, and the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) owns the remaining 45,145 acres, under the presidential decree, according to Invest Gate.

Land owners flocked to the New Obour Authority by the dozens to validate their ownership following the decree’s announcement, according to  Invest Gate.

Strategic plans for the new city are currently underway and are expected to be finalized by 2018, reported Invest Gate.  A new administrative body will be put in place to handle all privately owned land within the New Obour City borders.