Abu Dhabi: Around 11 new private schools for over 20,000 students, three private hospitals, nine mosques and 500,000 square metres of parks and open spaces will be built on Reem Island over the next 15 years.
The Urban Planning Council (UPC) on Monday approved the island’s Master Plan which is to be carried out in collaboration with three major developers, Tamouh, Al Reem and Al Dar.
Meanwhile, the island’s Transport Master Plan is being finalised with the Department of Transport (DoT) and will include an integrated network of pedestrian, cycling and bus tracks, the UPC said.
The projects also include eight bridges, of which three will connect Al Reem Island to Abu Dhabi and Al Mariah Island as well as new ‘affordable’ residences for middle-income individuals.
“These include people such as teachers and nurses who may or may not be working on the island. Another approved part of the Master Plan consists of setting up 10,000 hotel rooms on the island through building hotels but this may or may not happen, depending on the economics of it all,” said Joe Ong, managing director at Tamouh, who was speaking at the announcement.
Tamouh said that it is building Mira Tower which will contain 680 housing units, expected to be handed over to the appropriate authorities for approval within the next two years.
Additionally, Mohammad Al Khadar, executive director of Urban Development and Estidama Sector at the UPC, highlighted that developers must recognise the importance of setting up affordable educational facilities, although the process is a matter of balance between social and economic factors.
Tamouh also revealed that it will hand over around 4,500 housing units over the next four years of which 2,000 are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
“The integrated master plan for Al Reem Island forms an integral part of Abu Dhabi’s path toward sustainable urban growth in line with Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 and is a core component of Plan Capital 2030. The approval of the Integrated Concept Master Plan for Al Reem Island is a tremendous achievement and a major milestone for Abu Dhabi City,” Falah Al Ahbabi, the UPC’s director-general, said.
As part of UPC regulations, around 35 per cent and 40 per cent of water heating and electrical facilities should be operated by solar power.
The aim is to make Reem Island home to around 210,000 residents in total, including the current 20,000.
