Dubai Municipality has revised building regulations for the Al Satwa area, allowing taller residential apartment buildings and more commercial space in a neighbourhood that was previously dominated by low-rise villas. Eng. Mansour Al Rais, Director of the Executive Planning Department at Dubai Municipality, announced the changes, which aim to attract greater investment and remove barriers to development in the area.

Under the previous rules, plots on internal roads in Al Satwa were designated mainly for attached villas. Under the new regulations, those same plots can now be developed into multi-storey apartment buildings. Plots on internal roads may now be built up to a ground floor plus two residential floors, while plots on external roads can reach a ground floor plus two to three residential floors depending on location.

The biggest change applies to larger plots. Any plot measuring 1,000 square metres or more can now be developed up to a ground floor plus eight residential floors, with a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 3.5. Owners of smaller plots can also qualify for this higher allowance by consolidating two or more adjacent plots — including land used for access lanes between them — subject to municipal approval.

Property owners can review the updated regulations and submit applications through the Build in Dubai platform at buildindubai.gov.ae. Municipality officials described the move as a step to boost housing supply and encourage investment in underutilised areas, coming at a time when Dubai's broader property market has seen rents soften in several high-demand districts.