LAHORE:The Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA), also known as Central Business District Punjab (CBD Punjab), an authority working on modern urbanisation and vertical expansion, has decided to establish a first-ever ‘Diplomatic Enclave’, which will help showcase a unique approach in the cultural and diplomatic ‘Residencia’ while exhibiting the architectural legacy of the province of Punjab.
Various construction and real estate experts told reporter that after construction of ‘Diplomatic Enclave’, the CBD project would become more significant.
The CBD officials said that many other countries had shown interest in establishing or shifting their existing consulates to the Business District. In this connection, the PCBDDA has moved a summary to the Punjab government (Board of Revenue) for approval, they said.
Meanwhile, there is a plan to shift the US Consulate General, located on the Empress Road, to the Central Business District (CBD) also, as the diplomats concerned, in a meeting, showed interest in purchasing a piece of land in the area, the sources added.
Earlier, during 2016, the Punjab government had offered the US authorities a chunk of land in the LDA City Housing Scheme for shifting its consulate there, but the plan did not materialise.
The CBD administration has offered the US Consulate administration a piece of urban land measuring 100 kanals in the CBD’s ‘Baab-e-Pakistan’ district, sources told reporter.
China and Saudi Arabia also had shown interest in establishing their consulates in the LDA City project, but later China established its consulate in Muslim Town.
Muhammad Umar, a noted architecture engineer told reporter that Punjab, being the largest province in terms of economy and population with a huge pool of skilled workforce, had always possessed immense potential for investment, adding that the CBD Punjab, at the moment, is driving the said potential.
“We have investment opportunities not just in vertical development, but also in energy, health, hospitality, entertainment, and retail infrastructure to explore,” he added. \395