Owners of apartments in the delayed Sun and Sky tower development in Abu Dhabi have been told the developer will start handing over their units within a month.
Although there has been no official announcement, Sorouh, the company building the towers, has received its formal building completion certificates from the Government, project representatives have told several owners.
"I'm very happy, if it's correct," said Khamis Mahmood, who bought a two-bedroom apartment in the Sun tower last year.
A Sorouh spokesman would not confirm specific plans for the 1,150 apartments in the two towers, but said: "Sorouh has previously stated it expected to hand over Sun and Sky in the first quarter of 2011. Customers will be contacted shortly."
Sun and Sky is a seminal development for Abu Dhabi. The 65-storey Sun and the 74-storey Sky, along with towers in the nearby Marina Square development, are the first projects built on Reem Island, one of the first large-scale developments in the capital to allow non-UAE citizens to own apartments on a freehold basis.
Sorouh announced completion of primary construction on Sun and Sky last November. But handovers have been delayed while the developer waited for government approvals.
Marina Square, developed by Tamouh, has been facing similar issues. The developers have never explained the specific reasons for the delays, which has frustrated buyers.
"We've been waiting a long time for this," said one Sun and Sky owner, who asked not to be named. "There was a lot of vagueness about the reasons for the delay."
The building completion certificate for Sun and Sky is the final government approval, owners have been told. But the project will still need a takeover certificate from the construction company before Sorouh can begin giving keys to owners, according to people familiar with the process.
The developer has already conducted pre-handover inspections on more than 1,000 of the residential units. And many owners started placing ads offering their units for rent.
But the delays forced owners to change their plans. "We can't guarantee a date [to tenants] when we can get keys," said Ahmed Nawab, the chief executive of Trust City Real Estate, who bought 15 apartments in the development for about Dh22 million (US$5.9m).
Mr Nawab was told last week that handovers would begin next month. But the retail elements of the project may not be open until the summer.
"Handover is one thing, another is the fit-out and services," Mr Nawab said. "It may not be fully functional until June or July."
The retail mall in the podium connecting the two towers will not be open until the second half of this year, the company said in its recently released annual report. Seventy per cent of the space in the mall has been leased, including by Waitrose, a UK-based supermarket, the company said.
Sun and Sky is part of Shams Gate, the entrance to the master-planned Shams development created by Sorouh. All the infrastructure work is complete for the Shams district, including roads, canals, pedestrian bridges, sea walls, utilities and a synthetic natural gas plant, Sorouh announced in its annual report.
Work on the three towers that form the Shams Gate - the towers will eventually be connected at the top levels - is "advancing rapidly, and the core walls have reached 61, 60 and 52 storeys respectively", the company said.
"Numerous sub-developers are progressing with their developments [in the Shams district] with 10 plots now under construction and several more expected to commence by year-end," the company said.
kbrass@thenational.ae
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
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
