KUWAIT CITY, Dec 18: The Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Housing Affairs, Abdul Latif Al-Mishari, has approved the decisions made by the Municipal Council during its session on November 11. However, the minister objected to five amendments to the seasonal camp regulations, most notably his refusal to allow cooperative societies, civil clubs, and public benefit societies to rent out their camps.

Al-Mishari specifically rejected the cancellation of a proposed paragraph in the draft regulations for spring camps, as submitted by the executive body. This paragraph, under "Second: Special Conditions for Cooperative Societies, Civil Clubs, Public Benefit Societies, and Similar Entities" of Article Six (Resolution No. MB/MQ 2024/07/198/5 D 3, pages 169-170), states:

"The camp site shall be used by members of the entity and shall not be permitted to be rented to others or for any commercial activities."

The minister justified his stance by emphasizing that the conditions for establishing camps by cooperative societies, civil clubs, and public benefit societies must limit usage to their shareholders and members. Renting camps to others or engaging in commercial activities is prohibited, as other camping sites are already permitted to conduct commercial activities in accordance with the percentages and activities specified in the regulations, which must be adhered to.

Additionally, Al-Mishari objected to the area limit of 5,000 square meters stipulated in paragraph 2 of "Third: Special Conditions for Government Agencies, Institutions, Ministries, and Similar Entities" of Article Six. He argued that government agencies require larger areas to accommodate their members and proposed increasing the limit to 10,000 square meters, as suggested in the draft regulations submitted by the executive body.

The minister also raised concerns about Article Nine of the seasonal camp regulations, which permits mobile vehicles licensed under the Mobile Vehicles Regulations to operate in designated camping areas. The regulation restricts the allocation of such sites to no more than 5% of the total camping area and limits licensed activities to food services, land trip supplies, and children’s toys.

Al-Mishari objected to paragraph 11 of Article Eleven, which requires a monthly license issuance fee of 500 dinars for each activity. He stressed that the fee should only be collected upon issuance or renewal of the license, as the regulations pertain to a specific camping season and do not require monthly renewals. He proposed adopting the draft regulation’s provision, which sets a one-time license issuance fee of 1,000 dinars for restaurants.

The minister objected to the second item of Article Thirteen, which pertains to camps operated by energy sector companies. The regulation allows specialized companies to establish service camps in designated areas for a monthly license fee of 1,000 dinars. Al-Mishari proposed further study and amendments, including the following:

Requiring a refundable security deposit of 1,000 dinars, provided the site is cleaned at the end of the camping season.

Limiting the area for each license to 1,000 square meters.

He emphasized the need for clear legal drafting and suggested amendments to several provisions. For example, the first paragraph of Article Eleven should be revised to read:

"Owners of small and medium enterprises, institutions, and companies specializing in restaurants, cafes, and mobile vehicles licensed under the aforementioned Mobile Vehicles Regulations are permitted to operate."

Al-Mishari also recommended amending the first paragraph of Article Twelve to explicitly allow government agencies to hold temporary festivals and events, provided they pay the applicable fees as determined by the Ministry of Finance. He suggested the following addition:

"The agency is permitted to hold activities to serve festival-goers (restaurants, cafes, and light meals) within the allocated site boundaries, with the required fees paid as per Ministry of Finance regulations."

He proposed amending the area specified in paragraph eight of the article to 1,000 square meters.

The minister declined a proposal by council member Nasser Al-Jadaan to create a roundabout on Nasser Al-Mubarak Street to improve access to Rumaithiya services, such as schools, a cooperative, and a wedding hall. Al-Mishari cited a report from the General Authority for Roads and Land Transport (dated March 20, 2024) indicating that tunnels along the street make new turning points infeasible. Existing turning points were deemed sufficient based on a study by the executive body.

Al-Mishari submitted proposals to amend Article Thirteen of the Camps Regulations, including:

Permitting the commercial use of these camps through rentals, subject to regulations.

Limiting each entity to one license per site.Setting a license fee of 500 dinars per 1,000 square meters and requiring a 1,000-dinar security deposit.

Issuing licenses based on approval from the Seasonal Camps Committee.

He also recommended replacing the word "spring" with "seasonal" in specific articles to align with the updated regulations.