A well known beach in Bahrain could soon be turned into a state-of-the-art recreational and tourism facility, said officials.

Development plans for Al Jazair Beach have still not been finalised between the Southern Municipal Council and Edamah - a government-owned real estate company, but officials have confirmed that the three-year dispute between the two bodies has ended, according to a report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

Councillors have been demanding authorities return the deeds of the beach to the Southern Municipality claiming Edamah has not carried out maintenance and remodelling work in three years, despite plans being drawn up by the council in 2010.

They said the beach has been turned into a dumping ground and people have been committing "immoral" and "indecent acts" at nights.

"We have spoken with officials after the settlement of our dispute a few days ago when they promised to take serious action, in which a rough explanation on different development plans was presented," said council chairman Mohsin Al Bakri.

"We want to turn the place into a recreational area and tourist destination, but the beach has to remain public so people can use it freely for swimming.

"At the moment, the chalet part is separated from the main beach with families having different access and it wouldn't be a problem if it continues being so in the future, whether the chalets remain or get replaced with proper facilities like hotels, spas or aqua theme parks.

"The majority of the beach has to be public or else it will be like any private development that has been given to investors, who have blocked sea access to people, not even allowing them to go for walks."

Al Bakri urged Edamah to conduct a major clean-up operation after neglecting the beach for three years.

"We may have ended the dispute but there are things that require attention and the status of the beach is one of them," he said.

"Many families have stopped going there because of its appalling condition and they have been replaced by youths committing illegal and immoral acts freely. This matter has to be addressed now before it becomes difficult to deal with in the future as more and more people misuse the place,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service