Old village gets kiss of life

Jebel Ali Village, one of the oldest residential areas of Dubai, has been resurrected with some villas now available for rent.

Known for its community spirit, the residential area, built in 1976, was completely shut down by developer Nakheel in 2008 to make way for a new development. However, the property giant’s ambitious project was shelved a few months later as the world went into recession.

More than 300 families were evicted from the village at the time. One was Shehla Bridle, owner of the Jebel Ali Nursery Group. “When the village closed down, there were many heartbroken people, including us,” she says. “However I’m over the moon the village is coming back.

“I have put my name down to get a villa there. It would be great to see families moving back to the area and to get back the spirit of community that made the village so special.”

Renovation work

The developers initiated refurbishment of the derelict villas in January this year and on September 4 some of the 290 villas were released on the rental market.

“This development is a real part of an old Dubai community. We had a huge response — 400 enquiries came in when we first announced the reletting and restoration scheme,” says Rebecca Rees, Corporate Communications Manager, Nakheel.

Jonathan Price, Head Teacher of Jebel Ali Primary School, describes his school as “an island of hope amidst a sea of turmoil”. He adds, “The turmoil that I am referring to was created by a development company that was attempting to revitalise the Jebel Ali Village area. Unfortunately, the global economic downturn put an end to this project, and what was once a thriving little community became an area of abandoned villas that were left open to vandalise and pilfer. The area was an eyesore behind a temporary metal fence.

“The developers have kept many of the outside structures and refurbished the villas to enable them to become inhabited again by humans and not the vermin that have lived there for the past six years,” he says.

“The impact on the school can only be positive, apart from the additional traffic that will add to what is already a highly congested section of the road, and we await the removal of the ‘temporary fence’ once and for all.”

Rental rates

According to Rees, many previous tenants have requested to return to their original villa or street. She expects all the villas to be ready by early next year. Rental rates are Dh125,000 for a two-bedroom villa, Dh130,000-Dh135,000 for a three-bedroom unit and Dh135,000-Dh140,000 for a four-bedroom unit.

Says Bridle, “Jebel Ali Village gave the residents a sense of belonging; a sense of roots. It would be a dream come true if my nursery, which was started in Jebel Ali Village in 1976, could come back,” she says, adding that she had many happy memories of the village, which had its own duck pond, supermarket, pharmacy, travel agency and bank.