Emirati housing projects gain momentum

Cementing its commitment to providing world-class housing communities for Emirati families across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as per the Emirati Housing Programme announced in April this year, a delegation from the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) visited three major national housing projects in the capital Abu Dhabi to get firsthand insights and evaluate the development of the projects. Acting as the central authority working towards the development of adequate Emirati Housing infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, it is imperative for the UPC that the delivery of these new housing communities ensures that Nationals have access to high-quality housing constructed to the highest standards of quality and sustainability and this is the purpose of these regular on-site visits.

The visit is an integral part of the project development which is being implemented under the directives of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s President, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and the guidance of HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. One of the key assigned objectives of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 is to raise the standard of living for all citizens through the creation of vibrant, mixed-use communities and the provision of a diverse range of housing to meet the needs of Emirati families.

The visit, led by H.E Falah Al Ahbabi, General Manager, UPC provided the delegation with a detailed look at the various Emirati housing projects: Yas Island Villas by Royal Development Company, Watani project developed by Sorouh Real Estate and Al Falah Community by Aldar Properties.

At the Yas Island project, the UPC's senior management interacted with local residents to gain their feedback and views on the project since they moved into the villas earlier this year. In July this year, HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the granting of 488 villas for Emiratis on Yas Island. This is part of the aforementioned initiative aimed to develop over 13,000 villas for future Emirati generations while preserving and promoting the traditional Emirati identity and preferred style of living. The planning and designing of all the villas have been carefully crafted with the commitment to establishing sustainable, world-class communities that help protect the UAE’s rich and unique culture and heritage.

“With nationals being at the core of this important Government initiative, visiting the Emirati residents at the Yas Island national housing project is an important step in ensuring that we are delivering quality homes served by world-class community facilities. At UPC, we value the feedback of Emiratis living here. We have always valued and considered the input from the communities which ensures all of our future urban developments will successfully meet their needs,” said His Excellency Falah Al Ahbabi, General Manager, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC).

After the Government’s success in delivering the first villas to Nationals in August, UPC is currently working on delivering the next batch which totals over 1,300 villas in the first quarter of 2012. These will include 1030 villas on the high profile Al Falah project and 303 villas in the Watani project in Khalifa City “A”. In total, more than 12,500 villas are committed to be delivered to Emirati Nationals over the next four years under the high priority Emirati Housing Programme.

Today the UPC delegation visited Al Falah Community as part of a pre-delivery assessment and also toured Watani. The UPC’s management team received a full report and update on the infrastructure development to confirm that the delivery of the villas was on track, as per the agreed schedule.

“Progress on both Al Falah Community and Watani Emirati housing projects are on schedule. Such regular on-site visits provide our team with the means to benchmark our different housing projects. We also get a better understanding of the challenges that need to be overcome in order to ensure the delivery of environmentally and culturally sustainable Emirati housing. Our objective is to answer the housing owner’s aspirations by providing them with first-class communities that address their modern needs while enabling them to enjoy a lifestyle in harmony with our culture,” added Al Ahbabi.

The delivery of these housing communities forms a key part of the Government's commitment and overall plan for Abu Dhabi, which is to ensure that Nationals have access to superior housing that is constructed by reputable developers as part of a master plan that focuses on lifestyle elements and community living.

Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 is promoting the development of a leading 21^st century Arab Emirate that is based on a range of factors to ensure sustainable growth. Among them, a high quality of living plays a central role.