Business | Construction

Developers seek UPC's advice on new codes

The Urban Planning Council (UPC)'s new codes for developers and contractors have attracted interest in the industry.

  • By Ahmed A. Elewa, Senior Reporter
  • Published: 23:44 June 15, 2008
  • Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: The Urban Planning Council (UPC)'s new codes for developers and contractors have attracted interest in the industry.

Falah Al Ahbabi, UPC's general manager, revealed that several developers have already approached the council seeking advice to apply the new guidelines.

"Our teams are ready to assist any developer, contractor, and existing landlords all the way, and those who wish to apply the guidelines can approach us before January 2009," he said.

Last month, UPC introduced the Estidama (sustainability) programme, aiming at the introduction new regulations governing real estate development in Abu Dhabi to comply with the environmental concerns, and seeking to enforce a minimum 35 per cent of compliance.

"It is not necessary that all the guidelines will be converted to law, that can only be decided by the government, but at least we will have our minimal requirements," Al Ahbabi revealed.

Projects

"The government will announce later this year its stance in relation to its own developments, including public housing and infrastructure projects, while the private sector's performance is only subject to market mechanisms, and in this we cannot interfere," Al Ahbabi explained.

The rating system, identified by the programme as the Pearl framework, requires efficiency in the utilisation of water, energy, and indoor environment among other things, granting one pearl for a 35 per cent compliance rate, and five pearls for a 75 per cent adherence.

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