Links Repository (Dubai & the UAE)

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1. Dubai to make Jebel Ali world's largest airport
   
   Emirates News Agency (WAM) - 22/11/2005
   
   Dubai will have yet another superlative.
   
   This time the world's largest airport, Jebel Ali International Airport (JXB).
   
   To be built at a cost of Dhs30 billion, the airport could handle 120 million passengers a year, according to reports in the UAE's dailies.
   
   That will relegate the present topper, London's Heathrow with a throughput of 83.5 million, to the second rank.
   
   Once completed, JXB will be the combined size of Heathrow and Chicago's O'Hare. Again, it will be ten times bigger than Dubai International Airport.
   
   The Department of Civil Aviation of the government of Dubai on Monday launched Jebel Ali Airport City (JAAC), a 140 square kilometre development. Central to the JAAC project is JXB.
   
   Announcing the project at the ongoing Dubai air show, Dubai Civil Aviation Director for Engineering and Projects Khalifa Al Zaffin said the project is designed to serve Dubai's passenger and cargo air transportation needs until 2050 and beyond. It will have at least six parallel runways and as many concourses capable of handling more than 120 million passengers and more than 12 million tonnes of cargo per year.
   
   The project will be completed in phases, and the first aircraft will land in the first quarter of 2007 on completion of phase one.
   
   The project will be financed through internal resources and consortium banking.
   
   "The project's design is being finalised and the tendering process has started for a project which has been conceived to ensure that Dubai will not be hampered by capacity constraints. It will accommodate every aircraft type yet conceived," he said. JAAC is conceived as a mixed-use urban environment, comprising aviation, logistics, commercial, residential, educational, recreational, technology and entertainment components.
   
   At the core of JAAC, and scheduled to be the project's first component to launch operations at the end of 2007, is Dubai Logistics City (DLC), a free zone for businesses which require, or provide, logistics and multi-modal transport services to the GCC, wider Middle East, India, Africa, South East Europe and the CIS.
   
   Grading work for the first 4.5-kilometre runway is already advanced and, when complete, it will cater for a significant portion of air cargo transported through Dubai.
   
   The 25 square kilometre development will also feature office buildings, and will provide land plots for dedicated industrial businesses, trading companies, distributors, logistics service providers and forwarders, shared facilities, such as warehouses and modern air-side cargo handling, facilities.
   
   DLC is aimed at boosting business opportunities and developing services and facilities for its customer base that address the needs of leading global, regional and local industrial businesses, trading companies and logistics service providers who need multi-modal transportation. These will include airlines, integrators, multi-national, regional and local forwarders, as well as third party logistics service providers. It will also target key high-end logistics users including multi-national companies within the automotive, IT, pharmaceutical, electronics and communication industries as well as relief and aid NGOs and service companies.
   
   "Trade and industry customers can opt to build their own facilities on serviced sites with long-term leases, to work with Dubai Logistics City (DLC) who will provide a design and build facility or alternatively, companies can outsource operations to contract logistics service providers that provide both services and facilities, DLC's CEO Michael Proffitt said.
   
   Over 1.4 million square metres of leased land in phase one has been reserved by some 35 companies who will be able to begin construction on their individual premises in Q2 2006.
   
   Planning for an integrated road and rail transportation network to support DLC and the rest of Jebel Ali Airport City is under way. Official transportation plans include the development of a 160 kilometres network of main roads within Jebel Ali Airport City to support public traffic and a unique system dedicated to the specific needs of DLC and JXB measuring a total of 90 kilometres.
   
   The other Jebel Ali Airport City developments include Commercial City, Aviation City, Residential City, a Golf Resort, a Science and Technology Park and Exhibition City.
   
   The Commercial City, the financial and business heart of the project, will house up to 850 towers ranging from 50 to 300 metres in height.
   
   
   
2. A case of development choking lifestyle
   
   12/11/2005 11:34 PM | By Ashfaq Ahmed and Kevin Dean, Staff Reporters
   Dubai: Lack of basic amenities and overcrowded roads in the new developing areas of Dubai has marred the city's fast development.
   
   The signs are all over town, advertising the next ambitious real estate project that will either place Dubai at the centre of the universe or at the top of every record book.
   
   But thanks to poor planning, analysts said, everyone is going to feel the painful effects of such flamboyant and rapid urban development if immediate steps are not taken to cater to basic needs of people.
   
   Grid-locked roads have been an ongoing talking point for more than two years now. But as the construction projects of recent years have come online, other more worrying aspects of this boom have surfaced, underlining the lack of proper town planning.
   
   There are hardly any facilities such as hospitals, schools, markets and banks in the new developing areas, while the Civil Defence and police stations are far away in the central city.
   
   For residents in communities like the Springs, Meadows and Gardens, tackling those challenges means providing adequate amenities within close range of every front door.
   
   "Residents opting to reside in new areas have to take extra trips up and down the main city to meet even their daily needs, what to speak of emergency services," said Noushad Karim, who recently moved to the Greens, a residential area in 'New Dubai'.
   
   Residents in such communities have criticised the respective developers lately, saying that they are forced to drive into the city's gridlocked centre to satisfy their basic needs.
   
   "You can't build 6,000 houses and not think of emergency services," said Maryam Medina, a Springs resident.
   
   "The lack of planning is an issue when it takes 45 minutes to reach the nearest hospital. It is just unacceptable."
   
   "The pace of development requires a very serious look at the impact on our quality of life," said Dr Amer Moustafa, Director of the Town Planning Centre at the American University of Sharjah, a post-graduate curriculum that specialises in urban planning and analysis.
   
   Dubai's population recorded at 1.1 million according to the last census is expected to reach four million by 2017, according to statistics.
   
   The number of registered cars in Dubai has crossed the 700,000 mark, and this year 45,000 more vehicles are set to hit the roads.
   
   "A city should be people-friendly, livable and affordable, easy to move through and within. So I hope that these [new real estate] projects are part of an overall scheme," Moustafa said.
   
   Practically all of the existing and slated developments lie between Emirates Road and the coastline, with little expansion beyond.
   
   "To what extent are these new developments factored in with the transportation plan for all of Shaikh Zayed Road?" Moustafa said.
   
   "And to what extent is the Dubai Municipality coordinating these developments? The fact that these questions are even raised shows that the situation is critical enough."
   
   According to Abdul Rahman Kalantar, general manager of planning, infrastructure, and utilities for all of Nakheel's projects, the major project developers and Dubai Municipality authorities hold monthly meetings with the Infrastructure and Services Committee.
   
   The group tries to coordinate the latest developments and progress of each company with police, health, and defence officials, while making sure that everything is in line with a "master plan" to carry Dubai into the future, he said.
   
   In a similar report, some major residential and commercial projects along the coast are expected to house more than one million people.
   
   According to a Municipality study, the Dubailand project is expected to accommodate about 350,000 people
   
   New cities such as Jebel Ali Airport City is expected to have a population of more than 700,000 people, and Jumeirah Beach Residence is expected to house up to 40,000 people.
   
   
3. Dubai Property Tours launch
   
   Author: Property World Middle East Thursday, June 09, 2005
   
   UAE-based property consultancy Morley Consultancy Services announced the launch of Dubai Property Tours, an independent service to help prospective buyers make informed choices as they embark on their property search in Dubai.
   
   “We want to offer buyers a comprehensive view of the Dubai property market and empower them with the information they need to be able to purchase a property confidently and efficiently, whether they are buying it as a home or for investment purposes,” said Helen Morley, of MCS.
   
   Dubai Property Tours may be on to something. Since freehold property was made available to expatriates three years ago, there has been a rush of new developments in Dubai, from apartments and townhouses to luxury villas.
   
   However, real estate agents are only interested in selling what they have instructions to sell, and developers encourage the buying of their own properties. As a result, both visitors and existing UAE residents can easily get confused, and find it difficult to get objective information. “The Dubai property market can be a maze to newcomers or visitors who are bewildered by the endless choice of properties, across an increasing number of new neighbourhoods and in various stages of development,” said Helen Morley. “With new developments popping up phenomenally quickly, it can also be baffling to long-time residents”, she adds.
   
   Because MCS is not an estate agent, Dubai Property Tours offers a unique opportunity to see all that Dubai has to offer, and obtain comprehensive information on the medium term strategic plans for the city, without any pressure to buy. Clients are taken in a private vehicle on a ‘tour’ spanning several hours and covering up to 190 kms of some of the emirate’s numerous developments, accompanied by a Dubai Property Tours consultant. However, unlike more leisurely tours, this one covers the freehold developments of interest to prospective buyers and is filled with information on property types, neighbourhoods, infrastructure and the purchase process.
   
   “Our aim is to help potential buyers get a comprehensive overview of Dubai and its property market, “ adds Mike Morley, owner of MCS. “The city has a great deal to offer a wide variety of people, and Dubai Property Tours will give buyers a valuable starting point whether they’re looking for a home, holiday flat, retirement villa or investment property.”
   
   Morley has lived in Dubai for the past twelve years: easily long enough to see the emirate’s dramatic transformation into a world-class metropolis. He established MCS in 1995 with his wife Helen and has assisted hundreds of expatriates purchase property successfully in Europe. This in-depth knowledge of the European market coupled with a longstanding presence in the UAE enables the Morleys to provide information on what to look for and what pitfalls may exist based on first-hand knowledge of international standards.
   
   “We have watched Dubai’s emerging property market with huge interest over the past or three years. Property prices are still very attractive but there is a lot of hype being bandied about and a lot of anecdote. Dubai Property Tours is being launched to give potential buyers and investors a simple way to consider the comparables before committing to a specific project,” added Mike Morley
   
   The Dubai Property Tours package includes indicative information about each development, location, amenities, indicative pricing and rent levels, the purchase process and legal systems. Consultants will also provide a market overview, including facts and figures and information about future plans for the city.
   
   Summing up the new service, Helen Morley said: “The key to buying in any new market is to do your homework – this is the ideal first step.”
   
   For more information, please contact:
   
   Lamia S. Jaroudi/ Ali Koaik
   Strategic Marketing Communications Director
   tmh
   PO Box 33457
   Dubai Media City
   4th Floor, CNN Building
   Dubai, United Arab Emirates
   [t] 00971 4 391 8085
   [f] 00971 4 391 8086
   [e] lamia@tmhinternational.com
   [w] www.tmhinternational.com
   
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