Initial requests for proposals (RFPs) for the preliminary site works on the RO5-billion ($13 billion) Madinat Al Irfan development in Muscat, Oman, are planned to be issued before the year-end, a spokesman for the developer tells Gulf Construction.

The project is currently under design, he adds.

Madinat Al Irfan, Muscat’s new ‘City for the Future’, is being developed jointly by Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran), the government of Oman’s tourism development and investment arm, and the UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim,  the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

The partners in November 2018 hosted an official foundation stone-laying ceremony to cement their partnership and formed the joint venture company Madinat Al Irfan Development Company to spearhead the development.

Phase One masterplanning for the mixed-use community is currently being carried out by Allies and Morrison and Arup.

Phase One includes a mix of residential villas, apartments and townhouses, a dedicated commercial precinct, a hospitality and leisure facility, a new school and extensive parklands.

Spanning over 4.5 million sq m with an estimated project investment value of RO5 billion ($13 billion) over a period of 20 years, the mixed-use community will become the urban centre of Muscat.

Once complete, the development will be home to more than 50,000 residents and will include over 11,000 residential units comprising villas, townhouses and apartments, 100,000 sq m of retail space, and 700,000 sq m of office space, in addition to several cultural and lifestyle offerings.

“Upon completion, the development will serve as an integrated, sustainable and inclusive community, true to the values of Omani society,” says the spokesman.

“It will cater to all segments of the local community, providing a model for future urban developments, not just locally, but across the region. It will create a new urban lifestyle not yet seen in the sultanate,” he adds.