A
key developer on Nakheel’s ‘The World’ project has said the manmade islands are
at risk of erosion if construction does not begin.
The
CEO of Kleindienst Group, the developer behind the six-island Heart of Europe
Project, said the islands off the coast of Dubai will be corroded by the sea if
they remain undeveloped.
“Islands
are land masses surrounded by the ocean, a moving body of water with waves
created by tides and winds, and it is natural that edges of an island will be
affected by these waves,” Josef Kleindienst said in an emailed statement to
Arabian Business.
“If
an island remains undeveloped and unmaintained, erosion will occur.”
Construction
on the offshore World development has ground to a virtual standstill in the
wake of the economic downturn.
Many
buyers on the Nakheel-backed chain of islands have failed to begin work, after
Dubai’s real estate market saw prices plummet 60 percent from their peak.
The
only notable construction work has been carried out by Kleindienst, although
the 840m Heart of Europe project is significantly behind schedule.
Legal
representatives for Penguin Marine, a contractor hired by Nakheel to transport
goods and people to the islands, on Wednesday were reported as saying the project
is falling into the sea.
The
company said the channels between the islands were becoming clogged with silt
as the islands gradually sank.
Penguin
Marine is embroiled in a legal dispute with Nakheel, over the payment of an
annual AED5m performance bond linked to its exclusive transport contract for
The World.
Kleindienst,
which plans to build European-themed resorts on its islands, said his company
had suffered construction delays but was confident the project would be
completed in 2015.
“It
is true that The Heart of Europe has experienced some temporary delays in our
construction caused by approval processes, but these now appear to have been
resolved and we are expected to continue as planned within the forthcoming
weeks.
“We
are still expecting to complete The Heart of Europe by our scheduled date of
2015, and have full confidence in the long term success of this project,” he
said.
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