Has Dubai's famed beach strip been over commercialised?

A stroll down Jumeirah Beach Road figures high on every tourist's must-do list — in addition to the open beach and beach park, there are boutiques, spas, salons, coffee shops and malls aplenty here for visitors to experience Dubai's enviable lifestyle. Come weekends, the stretch turns into the favourite playground of hordes of Harley Davidsons and SUVs which cruise down the road, throwing caution to the wind. Amid this melee, the residents in Jumeirah villas co-exist, averse to the rapid commercialisation of their neighbourhood, but unwilling to trade in for any other area.

"I like the fact that we don't have to go to a mall — even if it takes only 15 minutes to get to one — as we have a choice of Spinneys and Choithrams [shops], some nice restaurants and coffee shops in Jumeirah. Beach Road and Al Wasl Road are full of dentists, beauty salons and so on, but the streets behind them are mostly residential," says Annelet van Rensburg who lives in a villaon Al Wasl Road. "I would prefer to live in Umm Suqeim 1 or 2, but not on the main roads sinceI prefer the peace and quiet. I also enjoy the fact that I need to travel only a short distance toa small boutique or coffee shop if I get tired of the big names in malls," she adds.

Another resident, Charlene, who recently moved from Jumeirah to Umm Suqeim, says, "There are way too many clinics, dentists, spas and so on along both Beach Road and Al Wasl Road. It seems like every other villa is a clinic! I would have preferred to see more galleries popping up in the area or more local cafés - not the KFCs, McDonalds and such that now line the road."

Commercial tenants pay rental premium

However, with landlords gaining a rental premium of approximately 50 per cent for leasing villas to commercial operations, there is precious little residents can do, except complain. "I recently spotted one villa which would havemade a lovely home, but it was for commercial let instead.I guess there is more money in it," says Helga Jensen-Forde, another Jumeirah resident.

According to data from agency Jumeirah Beach Real Estate, if a villa, for instance a five-bedroom one, is being leased for residential purposes at an annual rent of Dh280,000-300,000, the same can be rented out at Dh350,000-500,000 for commercial purposes. "Most of the tenants need to bearthe municipality fees themselves in order to attain commercial licences, but in some cases landlords get it done themselves.But, this is very rare," explains Vandhana Allay of the clients' service and administration department at Jumeira BeachReal Estate.

Traffic issues plague residents

The bottlenecks caused by Salik evaders and daredevils who perform driving stunts on Beach Road also raise the hackles of the residents in an otherwise serene neighbourhood. "We are looking to find another villa because of the noise created by traffic at night. Al Wasl Road is also busy during peak hours, especially Thursday evenings," complains Annelet.

Agreeing with her, Helga adds, "For many in Jumeirah whose driveways are blocked by cars eagerly awaiting take-aways from the myriad restaurants, the commercial properties have posed a big problem."

While the smaller malls dotted around Jumeirah such as the Village Mall, Mercato and Town Centre have parking lots or basement parking for visitors, most other commercial properties on Beach Road do not have separate service roads to accommodate customer's cars.

"My main bugbear is the fact that in order to park outside these places, people have to pull directly off the inside lane of Beach Road, putting other drivers in a dangerous position. You'll often find that people tend to just stop in a moving lane of traffic, causing other drivers to slam their brakes on or possibly swing out of lane, causing further dangerous driving," says Charlene.

With several U-turns having been taken away and Beach Road revamped into three lanes, mall hoppers find it inconvenient to drive all the way down to the Union House flag pole in order to turn around to get to the other side of the road.

"The Beach Road used to feel very small and village-like when it was just two lanes, and I think that feeling is now gone," Charlene says.

Traffic congestion causes concern

Despite complaints about the traffic they attract, the sprouting commercial establishments have increased the scope and number of leisure options available to residents. For women, especially the so-called ‘Jumeirah Janes', the nearest beauty salon or spa is just a stone's throw away from their villas.

"For take-aways or restaurants, I would say that it has proved beneficial to have commercial properties mushroom in the area. There are now many eateries for all cultures, which is lovely. At many of them, you can sit outside, giving parts of Beach Roada Mediterranean feel," enthuses Helga.

Litter on the beach

Though most Jumeirah residents are self-confessed beach lovers who find the proximity to the sea a real drawcard, they are worried about the trash trail visitors leave behind. "At sunset, the free beach is packed with four-wheel drives and families feed the seagulls and the kids have a lovely outing. But, the mess and trash that is left behind is enormous. I would like to see more dog-friendly areas and less rubbish on the beaches," says Zoe,a resident of Jumeirah 2.

While Jumeirah scores high in terms of location, it could involve a tedious search for tenants to find a smart new villain the precinct. "Some of the bathrooms and kitchens and other rooms in the villas make your heart sink. However, if you can find a nice villa, Jumeirah is one of the best places to live in," Helga concludes on a high note.

3-bedroom commercial Dh150,000 - 200,000
3-bedroom residential Dh130,000
4-bedroom commercial Dh250,000 - 500,000
4-bedroom residential Dh160,000