91 squatter-occupied feddans (one feddan is equal to 4,500 square metres) on Al Warraq Island in the Giza governorate have been taken over by the government, according to Assem al-Gazar, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, who made the announcement at a news conference on Thursday.
The minister emphasised that 67 of those feddans were acquired consensually from holders who collectively held 125 buildings. The price per feddan was calculated to be LE 6 million.
Despite this, only LE 6 billion has been released in total.
In addition, for each feddan sold to the government, householders in Warraq had the option of acquiring 16 feddans in Sadat City, a suburb of Cairo.
The 6,360 square kilometre Gizas Al Warraq Island is proposed to be developed for LE17.5 billion, according to the State Information Service (SIS).
LE 20 is the anticipated yearly income.
4 billion over a 25-year period, as the island, renamed Horus City, would be divided into eight residential sections, as well as commercial sectors overlooking the Nile River. In addition, there are two ports and a central park.
In an earlier news release, the ministry stated that 94 flat-buildings will be erected as a start on Giza’s Warraq Island, whose name will be changed to Horus City.
There will be a total of 4,092 units in three different configurations. Each of them will have ten stories.
However, the first and third types will have four flats per floor while the second type will have six units per floor. The third type differs from the first in that it has both residential and commercial units.
Following the second kind, which has 87 buildings totaling 2,508 apartments and 132 stores, is the third kind, which has 22 buildings totaling 924 apartments and 132 stores. Finally, there are just 15 buildings totaling 660 units of the first type.
Just 40 different types of buildings, totaling 1,744 flats, have had construction start.
On July 16, 2017, police conducted a raid on the island to remove encroachments on state-owned property, which led to altercations with squatters. According to a statement from the Interior Ministry, the confrontations resulted in at least 33 police personnel being hurt.
According to the statement, when security officials attempted to dismantle illegal buildings, a number of squatters protested in several places and interfered with the operation by discharging birdshots and hurling stones.
Lands on Warraq Island, according to Egypt’s housing ministry, were bought consensually from owners.
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