Dubai - Planting has already begun at the integrated theme park in preparation for its opening in October 2016.
Published: Fri 8 Jan 2016, 11:00 PM
Updated: Sat 9 Jan 2016, 8:14 AM
Dubai Parks and Resorts is all set to paint the town green. It has acquired 15,860 trees, 6,100 palms and over 1.4 million shrubs and groundcovers, both locally and from overseas.
Planting has already begun at the integrated theme park in preparation for its opening in October 2016. An on-site nursery has also been established.
More than 376 plant species have been sourced locally, and from Spain, Italy, Thailand, India and China to enhance the three theme parks and adjoining properties: motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai, Legoland Dubai together with Legoland Water Park.
These will be connected by Riverland Dubai, a retail, dining and entertainment gateway to the resort. The destination will also feature the Lapita Hotel, a Polynesian-themed resort catering to families.
So far, over 350 Washingtonia palms have been planted, with over 3,650 being tended to in the nursery.
Dubai Parks and Resorts has imported 14 eight-metre-tall olive trees ranging between the ages of 200 and 300 years from Italy. Sourced from various plantations in Tuscany as well as the South of Italy, they will find their new home at motiongate Dubai.
Paul La France, chief projects officer for Dubai Parks and Resorts, said: "We are very pleased to see that Dubai Parks and Resorts' landscape is taking shape as the plants begin to arrive. Our staff have been working relentlessly to create a beautiful and welcoming environment where all guests can take in the striking sights, immerse themselves in the unique settings and have an unforgettable experience."
The nursery has the capacity to house over 15,000 trees and palms and more than 900,000 shrubs and groundcovers. The nursery also has four greenhouses with a capacity of more than 100,000 pots each.
Dubai Parks and Resorts also has an onsite water treatment plant which it expects to provide up to 30 per cent of the treated water needs for the resort.
The Dh10.5 billion project is spread across 25 million square feet of land on Sheikh Zayed Road between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. A total of 6.7 million ticketed visits are expected in 2017, the first full year of operation.
- business@khaleejtimes.com