Saudi authorities said work was progressing as per schedule on the Awamiya development project coming up in the country's Qatif governorate, with about 30 per cent of work already completed.

Spread over a 180,000-sq-m area, the project will see the development of a new cultural centre for hosting national events and festivals besides an open market, a recreational centre and a heritage building, at a investment of SR239 million ($64 million), reported the Saudi Gazette.

Eastern Province Emir Prince Saud Bin Naif had laid the foundation stone for the project this February.

The cultural centre, which is one of the key projects in the Awamiya development plan, will boast three buildings: a library, a conference hall and an exhibition centre, covering a 5,323-sq-m area.

The popular market will come up over a 4,327-sq-m area housing seven buildings with one or two floors. Some buildings will have open areas where people can establish cafes, resting places and exhibit various goods, stated the report.

Three new roads will be built to link the project with the residential districts of Awamiya, it added.