There's going to be a new suburb in between the Palm and Dubai Marina

A new suburb is being built right in the middle of one of Dubai’s most bustling areas…

You know the stretch of water and beachfront in front of Al Sufouh? It’s to the left of the Palm Jumeirah as you look out at the ocean, and to the right of Skydive Dubai and Dubai Marina.

Well, manmade islands are being built there and public transport rigged in, turning this unnamed area into a master-planned suburb called Dubai Harbour (not to be confused with Dubai Creek Harbour).

Here’s some context:

The current shoreline and the new islands will be turned into one area, integrating Skydive Dubai, Dubai International Marine Club and Logo Island (the palm leaf shaped island directly in front of The Westin and Barasti) into one suburb.

Here’s everything we know about it so far…

– The new area will feature the MENA region’s largest marina – with 1,400 berths and a cruise ship port (remember, GCC yacht owners make up a third of the world’s luxury yacht ownership). There are currently 3,000 yacht berths in Dubai. One of the new hotels being built there will have a berth that means visitors can access it directly from the sea.

– The suburb will be completed and ready to live in and use in four years, so around 2021 then?

– It will be located along (and in front of) the newly-renamed King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street, in the area between Jumeirah Beach Residence and Palm Jumeirah, also known as Mina Al Seyahi.

– It will be developed by Meraas (the company behind City Walk, The Beach at JBR, the Last Exits, Boxpark and Outlet Village).

– It will be spread over 20 million square feet in total and will have a shopping mall that covers around 875,000 square feet.

– There will also be an events arena, luxurious residences, hotels, offices, retail stores, public services, restaurants and cafes. There will be both high- and low-rise residential buildings, as well as waterfront villas and houses. 

– The star of the show will be Dubai Lighthouse –  a 135-metre-high building (featuring a luxury hotel) that will have a solid and smooth façade that is being built to be used as a gigantic screen for high resolution projections and light shows. At 135-metres, the building will be about half the height of the Address Downtown Dubai.

– You will be able to access the island area via a road bridge, or the monorail system that will link both the metro and the Palm Jumeirah to the new area (and will take you around the new suburb – from the shopping mall to Skydive Dubai, for instance). There will be a pedestrian bridge with a jogging and cycling track to connect Dubai Harbour to Palm Jumeirah. There will also be water stations and three helipads.

– Excitingly, the Dubai Media Office says that the “project’s roads will be designed to enable the destination to host Formula races”. F1 Dubai? Possibly. 

– Remember, the project will also be near Ain Dubai, the world’s tallest observation wheel, which is being built on an island in front of JBR right now.

Speaking about the upcoming project, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE, said:

“Our region has had a long and historic relationship with the sea, and today we are seeing another initiative inspired by this age-old tradition that opens up new horizons for development. We have great aspirations for the tourism sector, which is one of the main pillars of our economic development and an important source of national income.”

We’ll keep you updated on the project’s progress!

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Photos: Dubai Media Office