Dubai: Aldar Properties announced the launch of Al Bateen Park yesterday and at the same time confirmed the sale of the apartment component of the project.

Mohammad Al Mubarak, the Chief Commercial Officer of Aldar Properties, expressed the developer's delight on selling at the same time as the project's launch.

"This is going to be a great place to live that signals just how strong the underlying market for residential developments is in the heart of Abu Dhabi. We look forward to talking to potential customers about the villas and townhouses which we expect to be hugely popular as well."

The developer would not reveal the amount the 272 two- to four-bedroom apartments sold for or the identity of the buyer.

"We had one client who bought all of the apartments in one go but we can't say who it was," said Osama Ganoum, marketing and media director at Aldar Properties.

Al Bateen Park is located right in the centre of Abu Dhabi on Khaleej Al Arabi Street outside a free zone addressing the needs of UAE nationals. Parks, gyms and community retail will surround the 75 villas and townhouses coming in and Arabesque design and with the choice of four or five bedrooms.

Aldar could not yet confirm the sales prices, but Ganoum said the villas and townhouses would be launched some time this year. "They will be good quality and come with high specs, but they aren't fancy as in they come at an attainable price."

Estidama has approved the project in accordance with its sustainability guidelines and construction is to start soon and be complete by the summer of 2012.

Affordable housing has been an important theme at Cityscape this year. The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) is pushing the idea of developing more affordable housing.

Aldar is not alone in taking the suggestion on board. Sorouh is developing Al Watani and Reem Investments will probably follow suit.

Developing affordable housing is becoming part and parcel of the responsibility of the master-developers, said Ho Kiam Kheong, chief development officer at Reem Developers. "By default we'll have to look into this."