RIYADH: Prince Fahd bin Sultan, the governor of Tabuk, on Monday oversaw a ceremony during which 359 families from Umluj governorate officially received the keys to their new homes, and he inaugurated the region’s new central park. The ceremony began with a speech by Majid Al-Hogail, the minister of municipal and rural affairs and housing, who said: “The Tabuk region has enjoyed a series of charity and development projects in various sectors, including services related to the municipal and housing sectors, free land projects, and construction. “One of those projects is the completion of the Tabuk 1 housing project, which contains 901 residential villas and a number of government and investment facilities.”  The housing units provided to beneficiaries span an area of over 800,000 square meters in Umluj governorate. (Supplied) The new homes, 245-square-meter villas, are part of a development that covers an area of more than 800,000 square meters. This is in addition to the Tabuk Valley project, which is an extension of other projects and initiatives launched by authorities in the region to provide more than 6,000 properties for beneficiaries of the Sakani program that aims to help Saudi citizens own their first home. The project in Umluj cost SR 305 million ($81.3 million) and in addition to the new houses it features full infrastructure, including schools, mosques and commercial space.  The housing units provided to beneficiaries span an area of over 800,000 square meters in Umluj governorate. (Supplied) Prince Fahd also inaugurated the new central park in the city of Tabuk and was presented with a commemorative image of it. The park covers an area of 1.9 million square meters, including 680,000 square meters of green spaces, and a walkway that stretches for more than 2 kilometers. It also features paths for pedestrians and cyclists, along with recreational and service facilities. In addition, Prince Fahd was briefed on the progress of work in other ongoing service and development projects in the region, investment opportunities offered by Tabuk Municipality to the private sector, and its efforts to improve the urban landscape. The ceremony concluded with the prince officially handing over the new houses to their new owners. He said: “I always say that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the country of dreams, and for this reason, we find millions of people flock to it to work, looking forward to achieving their dreams, and this is something that makes us happy. “But what makes us more happy is that we see the people of this country who achieve their dreams … no matter how big they are, there is no ceiling to limit them. What happened today, the distribution of housing not only in Tabuk but in all regions of the Kingdom, is evidence of that and housing is one of the foundations that make the family independent. Thus, this stability helps (people) achieve the dreams they aspire to.”