Plans for another resort on Dubai's World islands
The company behind the Great Britain island on The World Islands, Dubai will shortly unveil plans to turn the island into a luxury resort.
Q Group said the island will feature luxury hotels, private villas and water villas, as well as hotel serviced apartments.
The development plans also includes an event and wedding venue, offshore restaurants and bars, and water-based experiences for people of all ages, the company said in a statement.
Set up by Safi Qurashi, CEO and founder, two years ago, with property sales and leasing as its core business, Q Group now comprises seven companies, with operations extending from real estate brokerage, development and investment into facilities management, access solutions and security.
With a big recruitment drive under way, the group is now entering a new phase of expansion, including the launch of its five-star resort on The World Islands, Dubai and the establishment of an investment fund linked to major leisure, entertainment and hospitality projects.
Qurashi said Q Development will start construction next month on a residential block at Dubai's Jumeirah Village Circle, with another at Motor City awaiting final planning approvals.
Both projects, and others in the pipeline, will take services for residents to a new level, he said.
"We need to match their needs, not just build another apartment block with a gym and a swimming pool," said Qurashi. "Service charges shouldn't just be about cleaning the corridors and changing the light bulbs."
"We're now seeing a significant change in attitude by developers. A lot more thought is going into what they build. Developers are also looking more closely at finances in order to make projects secure, rather than depending on pre-sales to finance them."
Qurashi said he sees Dubai's real estate market entering a new era in which the most successful developers will be those adopting a longer term approach, and aligning projects with Dubai's economic drivers of tourism, leisure and hospitality.
"We're seeing a significant change in attitude as the real estate market here matures," said Qurashi. "Projects are now more focused on a sustainable, long-term approach rather than the old one of build it, sell it and move on.
"Developers know they need to do more than just find a bunch of investors they can make money from, without thinking of the end-user. We as a group, and other developers, are now focusing more on properties from the viewpoint of the people who will live in them."