UPC grants
approval of the Al Reem Island Integrated Concept Master Plan, which
outlines community facilities including schools, hospitals, mosques,
parks and promenades
ABU DHABI, 15 June 2015: The
approval of an overarching concept master plan, which brings together
the individual existing approved master plans and sets out the
developments and community facilities Al Reem Island will see over the
coming years was announced by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC)
today.
The
UPC announced its approval of the Integrated Concept Master Plan (ICMP)
for Al Reem Island at a special briefing today attended by
representatives of all major developers on the Island.
Among
the major facilities detailed in the ICMP are plans for 11 new private
schools accommodating a minimum of approximately 22,000 students, six
dedicated nursery/kindergarten centres, one university (Paris Sorbonne),
three new private hospitals and a number of clinics, nine mosques,
Civil Defence and Police facilities, a major transit hub, and 500,000
m2of parks and open space, including pedestrian promenades for much of
the Island’s coastline.
The
ICMP will enable the Island’s developers to complete their own master
plans, which will help the UPC and other agencies better manage existing
development on Al Reem Island and ensure that future development is of
the highest quality and meets current regulations and standards.
The
ICMP is in line with Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision, providing for managed
growth of market housing, commercial offices and retail space in close
proximity to the existing central business district on Al Maryah Island.
It
was submitted by Bunya LLC in December 2014, after working closely with
the UPC and Al Reem Island’s key developers over the past seven years
to create a plan that incorporates the objectives of the developers with
the requirements of the UPC. The UPC issued their final approval on
8thApril 2015.
Bunya
LLC, responsible for planning, executing and managing infrastructure
and operations on Al Reem Island, was incorporated by the Island’s three
key master developers – Tamouh, Aldar Properties and Reem Developers –
to ensure delivery is well-phased and comprehensively delivered.
Tamouh’s developments account for approximately 57% of the Al Reem
Island area, Aldar Properties 20%, and Reem Developers 20%.
Al Reem Island will eventually be home to some 210,000 residents, up from the almost 20,000 that reside there now.
The
ICMP covers the total land area of Al Reem Island of 8.869, million m²,
with a total gross floor area (GFA) of almost 20 million m². Of that,
1.442 million m² GFA will be office space, 873,576 m² will be allocated
to retail (which includes the upcoming Reem Mall), and up to 10,000
hotel and serviced apartment rooms will be available, along with
schools, hospitals and other community facilities.
The
benefits to Abu Dhabi are numerous. In addition to providing for the
managed and orderly growth of such a large area, the ICMP provides for
the protection and enhancement of the North Bay mangroves, it
facilitates a number of new transport links connecting Abu Dhabi island
to other areas via Al Reem Island, and ensures middle income
(‘affordable’) rental housing obligations will be secured for all new
areas of Al Reem Island.
H.E.
Falah Al Ahbabi, the UPC’s Director General, said: “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.”
Mohamed
Al Khadar, Executive Director, Urban Development & Estidama Sector,
UPC, said: “We worked very closely with Bunya to get this over the
line, and we’re very excited about what this means for the future of Abu
Dhabi.
“Not
only will the growth of Al Reem Island, one of the key areas of
expansion for Abu Dhabi, be carefully managed, we are also ensuring that
all future developments meet our Complete Sustainable Communities
directives, to support the creation of more comfortable, liveable and
sustainable communities on the Island; this is central to our mandate.”
Since
2008, the UPC’s Urban Development team has delivered 454 project and
master plan approvals. These Projects and Master Plans include Al
Maryah Island, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (Saadiyat Island), Abu Dhabi
World Trade Centre, Yas Mall and Yas Waterworld, Al Raha Beach East, and
the World Desert Oasis in Al Ain, among many others.
