DUBAI // Villas that have stood empty for more than a decade will finally be demolished to make way for new housing.
About 56 houses in Jebel Ali will be knocked down, said developer Nakheel, with many having fallen into disrepair since their completion in 2003.
Families moved into the properties at Garden View Villas 14 years ago but many quickly moved out after cracks appeared in walls and questions were raised about the build quality.
As recently as last year, families continue to be removed from villas with what Nakheel called issues of “structural settlement”.
The development is significant as it was among the first in Dubai to offer title deeds to expat buyers, shortly after laws changed to allow foreigners to own property in the early 2000s.
Originally, three- and four-bedroom homes in the 208-villa development went on the market for about Dh1.5 million
Nakheel this week said demolition will begin this month and that reconstruction would “begin in due course”.
Residents said they are tired of living in what feels like a “war zone”.
Jan Webber has been in the neighbourhood since 2012 but last year she was told her family must leave their villa because of what Nakheel this week described as “structural settlement”.
The house hit with cracks and subsidence — the gradual caving in or sinking of an area of land — the family was forced to move at their own cost, in excess of Dh13,000, to a property nearby.
They had been living next door to a derelict villa, kept awake at night by doors banging in the wind and by young people making trouble. She and her husband got up in the night and wired the doors shut.
“We got fed up with the vermin of the villa next door, the banging doors, the kids going in and trashing it … it was embarrassing when visitors came,” she said.
The family had to delay their summer holiday and spend money on having the new villa cleaned, decorated and re-landscaped. They initially returned to sleep in the old villa as there was no air conditioning in the new home when they moved in last July.
On Mrs Webber’s street alone, half the villas are derelict.
“It’s a shame as when we first moved in it was lovely. It was safe and quiet. I feel that it’s been forgotten,” she said. “I was trying for two-and-a-half years to get a villa here and now nobody wants them. It’s very sad. Some lovely people live here.”
Yasar Khan, a resident since last June, said living around the dilapidated villas is far from ideal.
“The abandoned villas frighten the small kids,” he said.
“My daughter and her friends say some houses are haunted. Other than that, it’s a safety and security threat and an absolute eyesore to one of the most beautiful areas in town.”
Pia Ault has been in Garden View Villas for five years.
“So many residents are moving out. The rent is high and service is terrible,” she said. “They can’t get new people to come in.
“They offered our neighbour two free months when they moved in January but they still couldn’t afford the monthly rent, so moved to Jebel Ali Village.”
She said there is much to be done, including security gates, better landscaping, and doing something with the empty villas.
“Make it look like a finished neighbourhood, not a construction zone,” she said.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said she no longer allows her two children to play in the street.
“Every time my son plays football, the ball goes into the derelict area and it’s very dangerous, so I just don’t allow them to play there any more. Kids are curious and they want explore so it’s very hard to stop them going into these areas unless you’re with them the whole time.”
She said in the three years she has been there, much has changed.
“I didn’t imagine that three years later it would still be like this. The security is poor, more people are leaving, and it’s still very expensive. We pay Dh165k plus another Dh8,000 to be here and this is our view.”
mswan@thenational.ae
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
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The Abu Dhabi Awards explained:
What are the awards? They honour anyone who has made a contribution to life in Abu Dhabi.
Are they open to only Emiratis? The awards are open to anyone, regardless of age or nationality, living anywhere in the world.
When do nominations close? The process concludes on December 31.
How do I nominate someone? Through the website.
When is the ceremony? The awards event will take place early next year.
Company%20Profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The years Ramadan fell in May
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
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The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Torque: 353Nm
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On sale: now
The%20specs
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