Sharjah auto city on the move

Used cars for sale at one of the auto businesses in Abu Shagara, Sharjah, which may now be forced to relocate. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

SHARJAH // Hundreds of used car dealers in Abu Shagara, plus garages and spare parts shops, say they have been left in the dark over plans to relocate them in a purpose-built area away from the city centre.

The densely populated neighbourhood of Abu Shagara is home to more than 400 businesses, and is known throughout the emirate and beyond as a one-stop shop for anything related to cars and other vehicles. Shops and dealerships occupy the ground floors of residential buildings throughout the area.

But people living in Abu Shagara have complained for years about the businesses, with problems ranging from a lack of car parking spaces for residents to the noise of vehicles being repaired, as well as pushy salesmen touting for business.

The plan to relocate the car firms to a Dh150 million site in Al Riqa Al Hamra, near Sharjah Airport, was approved in 2013 by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi with an expected completion date next month. However, employees and owners of the car companies said they are yet to hear anything solid from the municipality about the move.

“We heard on the radio about the near competition of the new used car location near Al Dhaid road. However, we don’t know when will that happen; we don’t know yet the mechanisms for applying to rent there, nor the prices or sizes of the shops,” said Qutaiba Mohammed.

“I have been here since 2001 and we have constant problems with residents as our cars take up all the parking lots under the residential buildings where our shops are.”

Mr Mohammed, from Iraq, said he renewed the licence for his used car dealership three months ago and was now concerned the new location would not be suitable or would be too expensive.

Farhan Ahmad, a used car salesman, said municipality parking inspectors fined him Dh200 for leaving cars in front of his premises overnight.

“We are constantly being fined by the municipality for parking our cars here, and we fight with residents almost every single day,” said Mr Ahman. He said shop owners in Abu Shagara pay Dh3,000 per parking space.

“Some of the big merchants here rented out land from their owners, and used it to display their cars. Unfortunately, small merchants can’t.”

In 2012, Motorworld opened in the Al Shamkha area of Abu Dhabi to centralise used car dealerships instead of them being spread around the capital.

Sharjah’s dedicated area will have space for hundreds of stores, as well as dealers and mechanics, said Ali Al Suwaidi, director of the city’s public works department.

“The project contains 298 shops divided into car dealers, mechanics and car accessory shops,” said Mr Al Suwaidi. “The project will be completed and handed over to Sharjah Municipality in April.”

Khaled Hasanin, an Egyptian resident of Abu Shagara, said he struggled to find parking spaces since moving to the area.“Sometimes it takes me more than an hour to find a parking space after work; the dealers occupy all the parking spaces,” he said.

“My friends don’t usually visit me due to the harassment they receive from car dealers, as well as finding a place to park.”