Sharjah has become the latest emirate in the UAE to plan a solar-powered community, after the state-controlled investment fund said it will develop a Dh2 billion sustainable city in partnership with a Dubai real estate developer.
Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Diamond Developers, will build the city over the next three to five years. Spread across 668,902 square metres, Sharjah Sustainable City will be completed in four phases. Located 11km from Sharjah International Airport, the city will rely partially on solar power and recycled waste and water.
"Construction will start in the next three months and the first phase, which covers nearly 25 per cent of the residential area, will be finished by the last quarter of 2021," Faris Saeed, chief executive of Diamond Developers, told
The National. "Remaining phases will be completed in the next one to two years."
The planned development will include residences, a "sustainability experience centre", mall, farm, school, mosque and sports facilities.
Financing will be a mix of three elements — equity, bank loans and off-plan sales, said Mr Saeed.
“Diamond Developers and Shurooq will provide the initial seed money. We are in touch with a few banks to decide the course of future
financing.”
Residences will include 1,120 three, four and five-bedroom villas on sale for between Dh1.2 million to Dh2.7m. They go on the market today.
Shurooq's executive chairman, Marwan Al Sarkal, acknowledged a challenging real estate environment, due to an increase in supply and oil price slump that began in 2014 and lasted three years, but he said "the real estate market in Sharjah is a bit different".
Mr Al Sarkal said: "There are not many communities in Sharjah, so we have planned to create a community for the future."
Mr Sarkal said the target audience is both UAE nationals and foreign residents and also buyers who want to take advantage of the long-term UAE visa through investment.
The UAE Cabinet approved a plan last year, under which foreign nationals aged 55 or above are eligible for a five-year retirement visa if they own property in the UAE worth at least Dh2m.
“This will be the first fully sustainable, net-zero energy community in Sharjah. We will be cultivating vegetables and leafy greens on site and it will be designed to encourage walkability and the use of clean mobility,” said Mr Sarkal
Diamond Developers also constructed Dubai's Sustainable City, the region's first green development. Mr Saeed said with the Sharjah project, the aim is to prove that sustainable development is also for a middle-income buyer.
“We have the statistics and data from our Dubai project. We know what could go right or what could go wrong. With Sharjah Sustainable City, we have proved that customers don’t need to pay any extra premium for sustainability.”
Dubai's Sustainable City has been operational for more than three years, and has about 3,000 inhabitants.
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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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
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
