The Council of Ministers has recently approved SCTA to take any solutions that it deems appropriate for the future of urban heritage sites throughout the Kingdom. The Council has also authorized the Commission to study possible measures that could encourage owners to preserve, maintain and rehabilitate their heritage buildings.

Notably, the Council of Ministers in a resolution adopted in Rabi Al Awal 1430 (2009), stated that the owner of a heritage building if he does not want to invest or maintain ownership of the heritage building, in accordance with the established requirements, then he has the right to sell it, and everyone has the right to buy it, including the relevant specialized public authorities, and the buyer in this case must comply with the conditions applied on the preservation of the site.

The Cabinet also authorized SCTA to study possible measures that could encourage owners of the heritage buildings to preserve maintain and rehabilitate the heritage buildings through the following measures:

1-      Cooperation between SCTA and relevant public authorities in this respect for providing required services and facilities to improve the selected villages and the old quarters.

2-      To grant the building owner a license to engage in certain activities to be compatible with the nature of the building and it must be in full coordination with the SCTA and the competent public authorities.

3-      To grant a loan to the owner of the building from the Saudi Credit and Saving Bank- according to its regulations – for the repair and rehabilitation of the building.

The Council of Ministers has requested SCTA to fulfill all urban heritage and antiquities sites related data in the final ranking of the estimates for the required compensations of the heritage buildings and antiquities to be allocated to their respective owners.