Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council (UPC) has cleared 26 projects with a total gross floor area (GFA) of more than 2.3 million sq m during the second quarter of the year, up from 708,999 sq m in Q1, a report said.

The number of projects approved was also up by nearly 25 per cent quarter on quarter, added The National.

The number of projects approved was lower compared to the 46 projects during the second quarter of 2014, but the gross floor area was larger, the report noted.

“Usually, the summer is steady but we would expect a surge of approvals in Q3,” Mohamed Al Khadar, UPC’s executive director for urban development and Estidama sector, was quoted as saying in the report.

He said that the total gross floor area approved throughout this year could be 15 to 20 per cent higher than in 2014 after a number of projects recently gained concept approval, including the 186,000 sq m Reem Mall. These are expected to gain detailed approval in the next few months, he noted.