Reef Island has started phase one of construction which includes 14 buildings, 20 villas and 49 beach villas.

The man-made residential island development is worth $1.3 billion and due to be fully complete by November 2010, reported Gulf Daily News.

The handover to phase one tenants will be in June 2009 with the initiation of phase two construction in the third quarter of next year.

'The economic boom in the region has led to a land reclaiming trend that allows development companies to completely design an entire project through their corporate vision,' project manager Waleed Hayek was quoted as saying.

'The Reef Island's dominating factor is that it is a residential project at a prime location in Bahrain, but our vision has been to combine this commercial aspect with the benefits of it being an attraction not only for tourists but also for the end users.

'Our goal is to provide residents of the island as well as visitors a friendly environment with attractions in a calming well thought out landscape that will not be overcrowded with traffic or noise. Our objective was not to build high-rise towers to maximise profitability but to produce an end project that the whole of Bahrain will be able to enjoy.'

The island will house 1,250 apartments, 65 individual villas, 49 beach villas, a spa and five-star hotel, a promenade featuring over 24 different cuisines, a 30,000sqm boutique shopping mall, a marina and yacht club, a wellness centre, six public parks and a currently unconfirmed aquarium. – TradeArabia News Service