Abu Dhabi – A college facility expansion, a hospital and a number of residential projects have received the go-ahead from the emirate of Abu Dhabi’s urban planning authority.
These projects bring the total number of developments approved in 2015 by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) to 69. They will be spread over 4.6 million square metres.
Of these, 21 projects were authorised in the third quarter of the year; 18 of them are located in Abu Dhabi and three are in Al Ain and Al Gharbia.
The most notable among them is the expansion of the medical wing of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Al Ain-based UAE University. Featuring auditoriums, laboratories, tutorial rooms and clinical examinations spaces, the development will be able to accommodate 500 students. The extension will, therefore, allow one of the top ranked medical universities in the UAE to take in more students.
The UPC is responsible for the planning and approval of large-scale developments in the emirate. Since 2010, it has authorised detailed plans for 461 projects and master plans.
This year in particular has seen a number of education institutions announce expansion plans accepted by the UPC. As reported by Gulf News in March, the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi and the Secondary Technical School in Al Ain are both set to expand. The first medical school in Abu Dhabi city will also be set up at Khalifa University.
Other than the college expansion, a 120-bed inpatient facility will also be built near Zayed Sports City. Al Salama Hospital will be located on Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street (popularly known as Old Airport Road), and will incorporate a full range of clinical and non-clinical departments.
Meanwhile, a residential community will also be established in Masdar City, and it will comprise of nine low-rise blocks with 500 one and two-bedroom apartments. The community will also feature retail options and gyms.
Another residential community will be developed around the New York University Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island.
All approved projects will adhere to at least a minimum set of sustainability standards, known as the Estidama guidelines, introduced by the UPC four years ago.
