A new legislation from Abu Dhabi’s Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities (DPM) on the construction of private villas on the emirate has reduced the minimum size of bedrooms, kitchens, dining areas and majlis seating areas.

A statement from the DPM said the new legislation aims to reduce construction costs for landowners and has been issued in response to feedback from landowners requesting for more flexible spatial requirements. The new regulations are also aligned with the Abu Dhabi Government Accelerators Programme, Ghadan 21 (Tomorrow 21), to review the infrastructure policies and reduce building costs.

As part of the new law, landowners will no longer have to construct a hallway in their new home, and the maximum height for side fences has now been lowered from 6m to 4m – all of which will reduce the cost of construction. The new legislation also allows landowners to build extensions to their properties overlooking a street.

The statement added that the new legislation was drafted following a series of workshops with specialised DPM teams, including engineers from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra municipalities, as well as other relevant authorities.

Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed, executive director of the Strategic Affairs Sector at the DPM, said: “The legislation will lower building costs for landowners, providing practical and modern solutions that can be easily applied, speeding up the delivery of housing projects and improving quality of life for residents. Compliance with the legislation will help stimulate business, investment, community development and enhance lifestyle, while increasing the emirate’s competitiveness.”