Leading Kuwaiti developers National Real Estate Company and United Projects for Aviation Services Company have won detailed planning approval from the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) for their $1-billion Reem Mall project.

The UPC’s granting of detailed planning approval to Reem Mall, a major leisure, shopping, entertainment and dining destination coming up in Abu Dhabi, marks the final go-ahead required to take the project to the next stage.

It comes only six months after the mall’s concept plans were approved - a rapid turnaround for a project of this scale, said the developers.

More than 100 senior Abu Dhabi government and business leaders gathered today for a special event to mark this significant milestone, pledge their ongoing support for Reem Mall, and mark the continued momentum that the project has built over the past 18 months.

Speaking at the event, Shane Eldstrom, the chief operating officer for Reem Mall, said it is an extraordinary project that will bring world-class shopping, leisure and entertainment to the heart of Abu Dhabi.

"We have made incredible progress over the past 18 months, and the detailed planning approval marks the final go-ahead required from the UPC," he noted.

Eldstrom said the UPC had been working closely with the group throughout the planning process, to ensure that the project responds to the needs of local communities, that it is safe, and that it meets the highest standards of energy and environmental design.

"We are proud to have worked so closely and harmoniously with the UPC since the very early days of the project," he added.

The UPC and the Reem Mall development team met regularly over the course of 2015 to incorporate design enhancements put forward by the government's Urban Development and Estidama Sector.

The UPC also had to ensure the project fit within other relevant masterplans, including the Al Reem Island integrated concept masterplan, which was approved in April 2015, and the mixed-use Najmat Abu Dhabi community on the south of the island where the mall is situated.

Mohamed Al Khadar, the executive director of Urban Development and Estidama Sector, UPC, said:
"For the ongoing development of Abu Dhabi, and for a project of this magnitude, it was essential that the UPC and the Reem Mall developers collaborate closely to ensure that every recommended enhancement put forward during the UPC’s planning review process was successfully adopted, while still meeting the target deadline for detailed approval and breaking ground."

The mall, he stated, forms an integral part of the Al Reem Island integrated concept masterplan, meets the UPC’s range of planning regulations and guidelines as part of the Complete Sustainable
Communities suite of documents, and has achieved an Estidama 2 Pearl Rating, ensuring that the facility is of the highest quality in every aspect of design, sustainability and functionality.

“With a projected population of 210,000 residents, Al Reem Island is a core component of Plan Capital 2030 – the framework plan for Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.

Reem Mall is strategically positioned within the new master-developed residential and commercial zone of the island. It will bring an extensive range of exceptional family-focused retail, leisure and entertainment offerings to residents and visitors of the UAE capital. It is expected to open in 2018.  

The mall will be home to the world’s biggest indoor snow play centre and is set to include some 450 stores including 85 food and beverage outlets.-TradeArabia News Service