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Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council okays 13 projects

Residential space is 70% of development schemes

Five of the approved projects are master plans and eight detailed project plans. — Supplied photo

The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council gave its approval to 13 development projects covering over four million square metres in the first quarter of the year.

Five of these approved projects were master plans, with the remaining eight being detailed project plans. One of the biggest project approvals was for Aldar Properties’ Al Raha Beach East Master Plan. Al Raha Beach is a mixed-use development, close to Yas Island. The development consists of reclaimed land along the coast with a series of canals and islands interlinked by boulevards creating a unique waterfront community stretching over 20 kilometres.

Al Raha Beach East is the first phase of the overall Al Raha Beach development and will provide over 3,000 apartments, townhouses and villas as well as 50,000 square metres of prime Grade A office space.

Master plans for UAE national residential projects were approved for Aldar Properties’ Al Shabahat development in Al Ain, for sale to Emiratis and the Bida Al Mutawa development, which will be developed by Musanada as part of the Emirati National Housing Programme in Al Gharbia, which collectively will offer over 240 villas, as well as community centres, parks and mosques.

Also approved was the Al Hai Al Tejari project in Al Gharbia, which was announced at the Al Gharbia Development Forum in Abu Dhabi yesterday. The project is a mixed-use development at the centre of Ghayathi City, located on the main road that connects the major settlements of the Western Region. It will include a town centre, office and retail space, residential apartments and a cinema, and will vastly improve the lifestyle of the existing community in that area.

The remaining eight approvals were for detailed project plans, which included Farglory’s EW11 development on Al Maryah Island and Aldar Properties’ Shams Abu Dhabi development on Al Reem Island, both residential projects.

In the education sector, a project plan for the new Institute of Applied Technology campus in Al Ain was approved, which will comprise a vocational high school and university for up to 2,400 female Emirati students, and will have a 2 Pearl Rating under the Estidama sustainability programme.

A detailed project plan for an extension to Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, which will add an additional 135,000 m2 to the existing 34,500 m2 of the current campus, to serve a total of 3,000 students and 762 faculty and staff when completed, was also approved.

The new campus will include Abu Dhabi’s first medical school, an integrated Engineering College and Research and Development facilities, and will also provide students with world-class facilities such as an auditorium, students centre and sports centre. The University also intends to enlarge their current Discovery Centre to 1,800 m2 to encourage public involvement in science and technology, with the goal of establishing Abu Dhabi as a knowledge-driven city.

— business@khaleejtimes.com