Industrial Area in for a shopping revolution

The massive complex will house a total of 320 shops as well as four cinemas

A massive complex, which will house shops, restaurants, cinemas, a supermarket and an amphitheatre, is nearing completion in the Industrial Area and is expected to be thrown open to the public before the end of this year, Gulf Times has learnt.

Owned by the government, the complex is in the eastern part of the Industrial Area - the newer and extended side of the zone - between the roundabouts on Street 37 and Street 52.

Though there are smaller shopping centres in the Industrial Area, an integrated complex has been a long-standing demand of the workers living there.

“Work on the project started in the summer of 2009 and is slated to finish in December this year. It is on schedule,” a source told Gulf Times yesterday. According to sources, the single-storey complex will house a total of 320 shops as well as four cinemas.

“The plan is to have 160 shops and as many restaurants, catering to the growing population in the area,” the source said. The complex is minutes away from the headquarters of state-owned public transportation company Mowasalat, the under-construction Barwa City and a few kilometres from the Barwa Commercial Avenue.

The Industrial Area shopping-cum entertainment complex is primarily meant for the residents of the Industrial Area though the two Barwa projects nearby would house thousands of people.

Of the approximately 1mn labourers in Qatar, an overwhelming majority is housed in camps in the Industrial Area. A large number of workers, most of them living in the Industrial Area, visit Doha over the weekends for their shopping needs.

“With good and affordable shopping centres and other amenities available in the Industrial Area, this weekly ‘exodus’ to Doha can be avoided,” the source said. “The complex will have a supermarket, amenities, ATMs, exchange houses, etc… the whole package,” the source added.

An innovative feature of the complex will be an amphitheatre, located at the back of the complex. It is expected to be the centre-point of public activities in the Industrial Area.

The amphitheatre will accommodate approximately 3,000 people. The sprawling zone lies between the two municipalities of Doha and Rayyan and is often the subject of neglect. The roads, buildings, sewage and other infrastructure in this stretch of the Industrial Area are in a bad shape.

In February, Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said: “Taking into account the rising population in the (Industrial) Area, the authorities have decided to rebuild the roads there.”

The Industrial Area features heavily in Ashghal’s five-year plan (running until 2013) and is slated for a major infrastructure development.