Dh3.3B Zayed City stays on track
abu dhabi — The Zayed City mega project is on track and residential plots will be available for occupancy by 2021, it was revealed at Cityscape Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Abu Dhabi Executive Council vice-chairman Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan was briefed about the entire project and progress made so far during his visit to the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) stand.
Zayed City will come up between Abu Dhabi International Airport and Mohammed bin Zayed City. The total cost of the project is estimated at Dh3.3 billion. The major portion of the project is residential areas and will cater to 370,000 people. The plots will also have educational institutes, hospitals and hotels among others.
UPC director-general Falah Al Ahbabi said Zayed City is among Abu Dhabi’s most important development projects. “Different project stakeholders in Abu Dhabi are making positive strides towards a common goal.”
Hamad Al Mutawa, senior planning manager, Planning and Policy Department, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, said Zayed City infrastructure would be ready by 2019.
“This is becoming a reality as the government is pumping money into the infrastructure. We expect building permit release in 2019. By 2021, we can see people living there,” he told Khaleej Times.
Infrastructure works, including water, electricity and roads, among others, are 20 per cent complete. Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) is building infrastructure for the Emirates district in the City.
Musanada acting CEO Suwaidan Rashed Al Dhaheri said their work would help provide a sustainable infrastructure that boosts the economy. The Emirates district will have 2,790 residential plots, 35 mosques, 45 gardens and 15 schools.
Abu Dhabi City Municipality acting director-general Musabah Mubarak Al Marar said implementation of infrastructure projects and issuing planning approvals are all underway.
On other projects under the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, Al Mutawa said there are multiple masterplans to be completed in the next few years.
“They are a combination of residential plots and mixed-use ones. Our main focus is to complete a strategic plan of providing 7,000 to 8,000 residential plots in Al Ain by next year. In Abu Dhabi too, we have key projects to be delivered in 2018-19.”
On the affordable housing programme, Al Mutawa said: “They will be soon released after government approval. It will be in high-density areas for lowincome groups. We want to provide different housing options all over the city.”
Al Mutawa said the government has approved a big budget for government projects unlike in the past two years.
“Most of the Capital’s investment projects have big budgets. There weren’t many projects approved by the government in the last two years. So, we will have demand equivalent to supply.”
“The government has already approved the budget and now the private sector needs to bring more people to cater to these projects.”
— ashwani@khaleejtimes.com