Aqua Marina

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(Image courtesy of Valeriano Handumon/ITP)

Ajman may be the UAE's smallest emirate, but its government is in no mood to live in the shadows of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Ajman Marina development offers a glimpse into the future of the Emirate, as Jamie Stewart finds out.

They moved the bottle shop. Formerly, executives at Ajman Marina Real Estate Development's (Amred) site office could purchase a cold beer or a soft drink after a hard week's work right on their doorstep. Now, they have to cross a main road and walk 400m down the pavement.

If ever a sign was required as to the depth of commitment being displayed by Amred towards its flagship Ajman development, such a sacrifice is surely it.

This commitment to the cause is admirable, reflecting the fact that the US $3 billion (AED11 billion) Ajman Marina marks a vital part of the future plans of the UAE's smallest emirate.

Amred is a joint venture between Saudi-based investment firm Tanmiyat and the government of Ajman, and was formed especially for the purpose of developing the marina.

The brief for the project was produced in consultation with the government of Ajman, which is seeking to build on the reputations of nearby Dubai and Abu Dhabi though developments such as the marina.

Government backing

"The government of Ajman has given us its full support," says Ajman Marina general manager Azad Nouri. "As our partners they have assisted by speeding up approvals and facilitating the work."

Ajman Marina administration manager Dr Ali Osman has been working closely with the government and the municipality on the project. "We have had good support all the way," he says. "The planning department, civil defence and so on, have all been very helpful."

As a sign of the lengths that Amred is going to in order to redevelop the area, the nearby Ajman Port will be moved to a new location in two year's time.

In total the marina master-plan contains 30 towers. It will be a mixed-use development including residential, commercial and retail space, plus the obligatory shopping mall. The built-up area will be in the vicinity of 1.6 million m². It will be home to 13,000 to 15,000 residents and will have approximately 35,000 to 38,000 users, according to Amred.

"We had to reclaim the land to create enough depth on the site and to redefine the Marina perimeter walls," says Nouri. "Phase one is reclamation work, knocking down the existing wall, reclaiming land and building the new quay wall. This work will take 18 months to complete from our start date on September 4."

The master plan, which was designed by HOK, is now frozen. "We are now moving to the next step of design, which will cover all of the buildings overlooking the marina," says Nouri. The conceptual design for the buildings will be ready in February.

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