ONE of the most high-profile commercial and community hubs on Amwaj Islands, currently described by councillors as a ‘ghost town’, is set to undergo administrative reforms to attract new investors in a bid to bring back its bustling glory days.
The Muharraq Municipal Council has tasked vice-chairman and area councillor Saleh Buhazaa to investigate why The Lagoon Bahrain lost its sparkle with shopkeepers, residents and tourists. He will meet with the relevant authorities and the area’s administration, and report back on September 1.
Amwaj Islands Central Owners’ Association board chairman MP Ahmed Al Salloom admitted that the existing problems were related to the district’s commercial hub, which would be addressed.
“We have nothing to hide and there are problems that we are addressing,” said Mr Al Salloom, who is also the chairman of the Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Development Society.
“There still remains a huge demand for residential properties in Amwaj Islands and existing residential areas are seeing continuous revamps to meet the demands of homeowners and tenants,” he explained.
“The issue is with The Lagoon Bahrain, which still has no centralised body, with investors having to deal still with multiple owners if they wish to open businesses, and we are looking for something similar to the residential area associations in a bid to tackle the issue.
“There is business interest to open hospitals, hotels, recreational facilities amongst others, but this needs us first to tackle administrative and financial procedures associated with multiple ownership.”
Mr Al Salloom, who is also a Bahrain Chamber board member, said for many years The Lagoon was the only place in Muharraq allowed to offer sheesha services but after rules were relaxed in 2018 other sites across Bahrain competed for custom and won.
“The Covid-19 pandemic also took its toll on restaurants and cafés and many of those located at The Lagoon did not survive,” pointed out Mr Al Salloom. “Those that did are now doing well.”
“Ghost Town, as described by the council, could be a nice, attractive marketing theme to attract new businesses, but referring to the place as ‘empty’ just isn’t the case.”
He said options were being explored to attract new commercial outlets and attractions and, subsequently, customers who live in Amway Islands as well as tourists.
“There are plans to address the issues and it’s a case of one step at a time ... but we have taken a huge positive leap since the dark days of Covid-19.”
Mr Buhazaa insisted that compared to its early glory days the ‘Ghost Town’ observation was a fair description.
“Before, The Lagoon was so full with tenants and customers, that people had to book in advance or wait in turn for a seat,” he said. “Nowadays, of around 40 restaurants and cafés there are two operational and God knows if they can survive.
“The Lagoon had several activities and programmes for families, charities and community groups. Are there any being organised or staged now? I don’t think so.”
He said everyone wants Amwaj Islands as a whole, and the lagoon in particular, to succeed. “It was the first multi-purpose investment development in Muharraq and its continuation to be an attractive hub remains our priority,” added Mr Buhazaa.
“The place needs fresh business operational ideas and alongside the government, MPs and Amwaj management, we need to figure that out. Its current status is an embarrassment, not just to us in Muharraq, but the whole country.”
Residents are disappointed by the area’s decline too.
“A walk around the lagoon at any level is little more than a wander through a cemetery and the evidence is clear and demonstrated by the myriad of empty shops and glass-fronted cocoon-like shells complete with the last inhabitants’ bits and pieces lying around,” said Amwaj Islands resident and strategic management consultant William Grieve.
“If it wasn’t for the water the lagoon area would be little more than a skeleton on the beach lying forlornly in a pose that is reminiscent of a ‘grand old dame’ hotel that has fallen into rack and ruin,” the New Zealand expatriate added.
The association has just appointed Nuwfal Al Kooheji as its director. It comes as a project to partition residential areas from investment plots is set to be tendered, as announced by Mr Al Salloom. The GDN also earlier reported that there were plans to install smartphone-operated electronic gates around residential estates to boost security.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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