Nearly 15% of all Dubai buildings flout planning rules

Nearly 15 percent of all buildings in Dubai do not comply with approved planning and construction regulations, according to Dubai Municipality.

The authority said during 2016, its buildings department received 3,375 complaints from the public about properties that violated planning rules, adding that more than 85 percent of buildings complied with regulations.

Inspectors issued 15,895 notices to buildings in violation last year resulting in the preparation of 46,976 technical reports, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.

More than 54,200 field visits were carried out to ascertain the extent of compliance of these buildings and 17,075 construction violations were recorded, with the 47 percent of them related to making additions and modifications without licence.

Layali Abdul Rahman Al Mulla, director of Buildings Department at Dubai Municipality, said: “The inspectors of the Section catch the violations regarding building usages and stop the unplanned growth by correcting and repositioning them in order to achieve the vision the Municipality to build a happy and sustainable city.”