Plans for the multi-million dinar development of Bahrain's east coast are being drawn up with one eye on the Fifa World Cup due to take place in Qatar in 2022, a report said.

The Southern Municipal Council wants to promote investment near the sleepy fishing village of Askar, which is situated close to the landing site of a proposed bridge linking Bahrain and Qatar, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

It yesterday (February 25) asked the Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry to draw up a list of municipal and government-owned land, both onshore and offshore, that could be offered to private investors.

Ideas for development include hotels, resorts, shopping complexes and family leisure facilities.

"We have to make the 2022 World Cup in Qatar our target to get investment projects in that area, which Bahrain could benefit from," said council chairman Ahmed Al Ansari.

"Around seven years remain and we have to select lands, which cover huge areas, to offer to investors to build hotels, resorts, shopping complexes and family entertainment attractions.

"Bahrain has more to offer than Qatar as a tourism destination and it would be far cheaper to stay here during the World Cup than spend a fortune there, with it taking just around an hour to drive to Qatar on the proposed causeway.

"Seven years is a challenge and even if we miss it (the World Cup), that area (around Askar) is set for a boom in the years to come.

"Movement of traffic on the causeway will be similar to that on the King Fahad Causeway, through which many Saudis come to Bahrain."

Negotiations on a causeway linking Bahrain and Qatar began in 2009, but later stalled.

However, they resumed in 2013 and in November of that year the Bahrain-Qatar Causeway Authority commissioned consultants to review designs for the 40km structure - which could be the world's longest man-made bridge.

Al Ansari said the Works, Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry had been given a month to suggest lands that could be offered to investors.

"We hope, within months, investors will be chosen through tenders and work will begin as soon as possible," he said.

"As I have been told, there are several government and municipal lands on the shore and in the sea, with some already earmarked for public projects, but we need to know what they are to decide on the direction.

"There is a lot of interest from investors in Bahrain and abroad to put money into the area and we are looking to capitalise on that as we turn the place into an urban oasis."

Phase one of Qatar's long distance railway project opened up for pre-qualification applications last week, so that companies wishing to bid for the project can be assessed.

Approximately 156km of track will be laid under the initial phase, including 24 bridges and 58 culverts, pipeline and camel crossings to be completed by 2018.

The Bahrain link - planned as part of the second phase of the rail project with an expected completion date of 2021 - would join Doha West International Railway Station with Manama over 160km of track at speeds of up to 270kmph.

This high-speed line could mean that it would take as little as 35 minutes to reach Doha from Bahrain, with plans to double the line so that it can also accommodate goods traffic by 2027.

A pre-qualification process for the long distance railway project had been started last year for combined "civil works" and systems tenders,

But this was terminated and Qatar Rail is only seeking tenders for "civil works" such as bridges, culverts, tracks, freight yards and passenger stations. – TradeArabia News Service