The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) has announced the launch of its first mixed-use development featuring a number of villas and community facilities in the Mirfa region of the UAE capital.

Al Wajeha Al Bahria is the first housing and retail project in the Mirfa beach area of Al Gharbia (Abu Dhabi’s Western Region).

Located on a site between Mirfa Beach and Mirfa City, the scheme is within Mirfa, one of the seven key settlements that feature in Plan Al Gharbia 2030. The first project within the Mirfa masterplan, it includes mixed-use blocks and a number of villas and community facilities.

The UPC had been working closely with the developer to identify how value could be added to the planning submission for the benefit of the community, before granting approval. As a result, the project will now feature a beachfront promenade for pedestrians and cyclists that connects Al Wajeha Al Bahria with other planned projects on the Mirfa coastline, it added.

“Al Wajeha Al Bahria is a good example of how the UPC successfully collaborates with developers to ensure the needs of the community are met,” remarked Mohamed Al Khadar, executive director, Urban Development and Estidama Sector, UPC.

According to him, the Abu Dhabi UPC worked with the Western Region Municipality to implement a road network in and around the Mirfa coastline area to serve Al Wajeha Al Bahria, which has paved the way for future development to take place.

The announcement comes soon after the UPC disclosed details of the planned Mirfa Beach development – also within the overall Mirfa masterplan – which will feature over 400 villas for UAE nationals on a site adjacent to Al Wajeha Al Bahria.

The design of the Mirfa Beach villas, along with the detailed design for all other community facilities within the development, is in progress and construction is due to begin in the first half of 2017.