PLANS to revive a scheme that would turn a public park in Bahrain’s Muharraq area into a ‘miniature Disneyland’ is under way – two years after councillors scrapped it.

Councillors have now rallied behind the overhaul of the Grand Muharraq Garden, which was abandoned in April 2010 after the Kuwaiti investor chosen missed three deadlines to start work.

They have urged local investors to come forward for the tendering in a bid to restore the BD19-million ($50.3 million) project.

According to the original plans, the project would have featured a variety of rides, landscaping and the country’s longest walkway at 1,550 m.

The design also featured the biggest bowling alley in the Middle East with 45 lanes, which would have been equipped to host international championships.

Other facilities were to include a women’s health club, medical centre, restaurants and coffee shops, a hotel with a multipurpose hall and a three-storey car-park with a hydraulic elevator for vehicles.

Plans also included a miniature train to transport guests around the park and 14 buses to ferry visitors to the park from Saudi Arabia.

In addition, the park was due to have its own ambulance and helicopter on standby, in case of emergencies.

The councillors also sought to rename the park after HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa because it is the first government facility that visitors to the country would come across after leaving Bahrain International Airport.

“The garden’s significance is not just its size, but its closeness to the airport and the fact that it is the first municipal facility that visitors take a glance at. This is why we want to name it after the King and we have sent a request to the Royal Court to sanction it,” they added.