UK prepares to participate in housing projects in Kingdom

The British government intends to mobilize all of its specialized entities and companies operating in the field of construction for residential units to invest in the large residential projects offered by the Kingdom, as represented by the Department of Housing in fulfillment of its “Vision 2030” plan.
Simon Collis, British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said that the Embassy is ready to provide the necessary facilities for the visits of the companies involved between Saudi Arabia and Britain, and to identify opportunities for designs and other technical support for the companies in this field.
He welcomed the approval of the Saudi Council of Ministers to choose companies from various countries, including Britain, and for the granting of authority to the minister of housing and his deputy to negotiate with Chinese, British, French, Malaysian, Turkish and Egyptian companies to participate in the construction of housing units in the Kingdom.
The British ambassador noted that this move comes within the framework of economic cooperation between the two countries. He pointed out that there are thousands of British companies operating in Saudi Arabia in various activities such as education, petrochemicals, construction, water, medicine, transportation, health, insurance, consulting of all kinds, finance, and infrastructure.
In recent years, the Ministry of Housing has had contact with many of the embassies of countries that have been nominated to assist in future projects. Among them were South Korea, Britain, and officials at the Chinese Embassy.
The latest statistics by the British Ministry of Trade showed there are more than 200 projects between the two countries worth $17.5 billion, including British exports, which includes goods and services that amounted to approximately 8.5 billion pounds during 2015.
On Friday, the British Guardian newspaper said: “There is space for British companies specializing in the construction of housing units to negotiate with a number of Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, for the construction of housing units". The newspaper did not identify or mention any specific company names.
Regarding the visit of the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, to the Kingdom last week, the publication said: "The Kingdom's government supports the strong ties between Britain and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states".

Source: Arab News