By ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Monday approved the designs of new housing units he ordered to construct in different provinces of the Kingdom.

In a series of royal decrees issued in March, King Abdullah ordered establishment of 500,000 low-cost housing units to solve the country’s housing problem. He allocated SR250 billion to implement the massive project.

King Abdullah saw models and maps of housing projects while Housing Minister Shuwaish Al-Duwaihi briefed the king on the features of the housing unit and its cost, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

King Abdullah signed the designs, giving them initial approval.

The General Housing Authority has started implementing 35 projects comprising 15,000 housing units in various parts of the Kingdom.

“The ministry will hand over the first units of this housing project very soon,” Al-Duwaihi said, adding that the projects would be carried out quickly while maintaining high quality.