Cutting high rises down to size

By Fatemah Farag

"This is an exaggeration," said Ahmed Abdel-Moati, managing director of Maadi Today Real Estate. "The decree was only issued about two months ago and has not affected prices yet. When it does, the maximum depreciation will be around 25 per cent." Abdel-Moati explained that land prices in old Maadi were inflated and that the latest decree would bring prices under control. "The price of a square metre of land here ranges from LE9,000 to LE10,000, which is more expensive than property in Paris. Even when the prices come down, they will be a bit higher than normal," he added.

However, the plea was supported by 15 members of Parlaiment and the Shura Council's Housing Committee. The latter called on the Prime Minister last week to reconsider his decision, claiming that it was unjustified and would adversely affect construction companies.

The controversial decree was a follow-up to ministerial Decree No. 2104 of 1996 which covers Garden City, Zamalek and Maadi. The first decree stipulated that any villas that are brought down must be replaced by structures of the same height, that no new commercial stores may be opened and that the height of the building must not exceed one time the width of the street.

However, 11-storey eye-sores stand testimony to the violations of the decree which have taken place over the past few years. "In the past six years, many villas and old structures were pulled down. Perhaps there is only about 10 per cent left of what there was. The decree has come too late," claimed Abdel-Moati.

The growing loss of Maadi's architectural heritage has prompted local community groups, such as the Tree Lovers Association, to mobilise. The Association documents and takes legal action against breaches of the law. Its experience indicates that loopholes still exist in the system. A famous example is a red brick high-rise in El-Nahda Square.

"We lost the first lawsuit they filed against us and the government pulled two storeys off our building. Then we petitioned and rebuilt them," recounted one of the engineers at the site which is on its way to completion.

Violations aside, some people see that the government's action is paying off. Hossam Abdalla, a Maadi taxi driver for the past nine years, points out that "a few years ago there were houses coming down all over the place but today you see more renovated villas instead."

Buildings which are already under construction will not be affected by the 1998 decree. Rather, land owners who applied for construction licenses with the City Council are the ones who will be forced to comply with the new zoning laws. According to the advertisement, 2,000 pieces of land are affected. Critics note that the real problem is in the New Maadi area which is dominated by high rises already, although many buildings are still under construction.

In return for government leniency, businessmen offered to contribute to solving the housing problem by building 3,000 apartments for young people over the next 10 years. But the prime minister is sticking to his guns. Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif said two weeks ago that despite the criticism the regulations would remain in force and would not be changed.