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
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Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Company%20profile
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T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Results
UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets
Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey
7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Company%20Profile
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
The five pillars of Islam
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Points Classification
1. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 63
2. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 38
3. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 25
4. Sonny Colbrelli (Italy / Bahrain) 24
5. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Dimension Data) 22
6. Taylor Phinney (U.S. / Cannondale) 21
7. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
8. Thomas Boudat (France / Direct Energie) 20
9. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
10. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 17
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Midnights'
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)