Old shops and landmarks make way for a new Msheireb
Dozens more shopkeepers in the heart of Doha are preparing to relocate as the premises could soon be demolished to make way for upscale developments.
Many shops on Wadi Msheireb Street near Mercure Grand Hotel Doha (formerly Sofitel Hotel) and Doha Petrol Station have been served with evacuation notices by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.
People living in residential units on the upper storeys of the shopping complex will also have to evacuate, complying with the notice.
Buildings in the popularly known 'Sofitel area' where a computer market is also located will be demolished in phases. The Sofitel complex is one of the oldest landmarks.
Doha Palace, another landmark in the area, has been closed since a month and will be razed.
However, a senior official at the hotel told this daily yesterday that they had not received any evacuation notice and "the hotel will remain as it is".
January 12 was the deadline for the shops to leave the premises but until yesterday afternoon majority of them were open for business.
Some shopkeepers said they will leave soon.
Shop owners have not renewed the rent agreements of their tenants for 2015.
And nearby shopkeepers not served with any notice yet said their rent agreements were renewed for six months and they too would have to leave.
"Here, we pay between QR7,000 and QR10,000 as monthly rent. But finding a place at the same rent in an area where we can have good business is not easy," said a shopkeeper who deals in garments. [The Peninsula]
Photo by Torsten
Well it's time the run down shops went because of all kinds of reasons, Doha needs to have more modern shopping experience in that particular area.
I'm sure those shop keepers will find another area to set up shops, with rental smiler to what they are paying currently.
where will the stray cats go in those areas??