Cityscape: Meydan Group Announces Two Big Developments

The Meydan Group has kicked off Cityscape Global with the announcement of several major new projects.

The Group unveiled the planned developments on the first day of the three-day global property event held in Dubai.

The Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid will be a new community consisting of a collection of neighbourhoods built across the Nad Al Sheba landscape.

The new settlement will be centered on ‘garden living’ with infrastructure designed to resemble the English and French countrysides as well as Japanese gardens. The development will span 5,088,959sqm and will be connected by canals and waterways.

Speaking at the announcement, Mohammad Nasser Al Khayat, commercial director at Meydan, said: “It’s a continuation in Meydan’s continuing projects. The Hadaeq will house 1,700 villas and apartments while 60 per cent of the lands will be green.”

The Hadaeq will have schools, shops, parks and its own tram system. It will also be home to a new mall which will be accessible by the waterways. The Hadaeq will not be a private area, opening its cycling paths and exercise facilities to the public.

“The mall will be connected to all the parks by the canals, so the public can visit them as they like,” said Khayat.

In the heart of the new community will be the Bio-Dome – a ‘closed gardens’ attraction open to the public and inhabitants of Hadaeq which will resemble the Royal Botanic Gardens attraction in Kew, London.

No price or completion dates were formally announced though an undisclosed source at the announcement said completion could be within five to seven years. The source said Meydan was looking for multiple developers for the project.

Khayat would not be drawn on the cost of the project but did say Meydan has invested Dhs10 billion across Meydan’s developments so far. “We need to understand the needs and requirements before moving forward. Major investors will be from the GCC and Europe – the UK and Germany mainly,” said Khayat.

The rest of the announcement focussed on The Meydan Tower, a new ‘vertical community’ promised to dominate the Sheikh Zayed Road skyline.

The new skyscraper will house residential, commercial and leisure facilities and will be the Group’s first development outside of Meydan City.

The tower will have office and retail space, serviced residences and a boutique hotel as well as residential villas.

“The idea of the tower is to be a vertical community,” said Khayat. “Every 30 floors will have its own facilities and private amenities.

“There will be 256 serviced apartments, three penthouses and a 100-room hotel. Retail space will occupy 40,000 sq ft.”

The building will also have a strong health and fitness focus with an indoor running track and tennis courts, as well as nine swimming pools, private gardens and a spa.

The undisclosed source noted that the tower is very much still a concept and progress depends on interest shown following Cityscape and for the rest of the year. As such, details of the height, cost and completion date are yet to be announced.

“Meydan Tower will be the only freehold on Sheikh Zayed Road, which is a big selling point,” said Khayat.