(MENAFN- Arab News) The Jeddah municipality will redouble its efforts to implement royal decrees and regulations pertaining to government investment projects in the Kingdom particularly waterfront development projects Hani Abu Ras the city's mayor said recently.His comments came in response to investor's concerns about excluding recreational and investment projects sites along the corniche which they argue would lead to losses worth billions of riyals for the industry.Investors and legal officials have been split in their positions on the issue with supporters arguing that they are public sites and opponents calling for commitment to contracts.'The value of these projects to develop the waterfront area is worth SR1.2 billion and these projects extend along the whole length of the waterfront making them easy to access by residents in all areas' said Abu Ras.'The Dahban Marine Park project which cost more than SR39 million will be completed very soon' he said. 'Over the past five years we also saw the completion of the Al-Waha Waterfront Development project the Central Corniche Development project as well as the walkway on Palestine Street at a cost of more than SR188 million.'According to Khaled Al-Harthy chief of a strategic studies center contracts must be scrutinized before the projects begin.'Development action is completed in cooperation between the private and government sectors and such contracts must be closely analyzed to identify all relevant details' Al-Harthy said adding that the municipality wants to make sure the provisions of the royal decrees and contracts signed with the investors are followed through.At the same time he stressed the municipality wants to ensure the development of tourism and waterfront locations is included in the country's strategic plans.Investor Abdul Aziz Al-Khateeb slammed the decision as negative for local tourism.'We are against the decision and investors should be encouraged to promote domestic tourism. This decision negatively impacts local tourism and our economy and there will be tremendous losses' he lamented. Agreeing with Al-Khateeb lawyer and legal adviser Amr Al-Khouly said that the tourist and recreational sites along the corniche belong to public ownership thus benefits stemming from these places cannot be limited to certain people who take advantage of special projects.However many others in the industry supported the decision basing it on the general interest of the country's citizens and residents.Badr Al-Hokair of the Al-Hokair Group pointed out the need to allocate all the projects in the area for the general public making beaches open for everyone regardless of material losses suffered by investors.