Builders, consultants hired for $2.7bn Dubai theme parks project

The first phase of Dubai Parks & Resorts will include a Legoland theme park.

Dubai Parks & Resorts, a Meraas Holding company, on Tuesday announced that it has made "significant progress" on phase one of its multi-billion dollar entertainment and leisure destination in the emirate.

The company behind the project which will feature three theme parks - Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai, and LEGOLAND Dubai - said it has engaged with a number of "world class contractors and consultants".

It said in a statement that the overall masterplan for the project has been approved by government authorities and more than 1,500 personnel have been deployed to develop an initial area of approximately 25 million sq feet.

The number of workers on site is expected to increase four-fold by 2015, the statement added.

"With nearly 30 percent of the infrastructure development already complete, work on the power substation has registered 35 percent headway while excavation work for the district cooling facility has also commenced," said Dubai Parks & Resorts.

Project management firm Samsung C&T is overseeing the overall progress of the project to ensure its components adhere to scheduled timelines and budgets, while Kier Group is building the utilities component, the statement added. ETA has been engaged for the power sub-station project and National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed) mandated to set up the district cooling facility.

The statement said that Besix Orascom is responsible for the majority of the LEGOLAND Dubai building works, Laing O'Rourke and Al Futtaim Carillion for a large part of Motiongate Dubai, and ARCO General Contracting EST for Bollywood Parks.

Hill International has also been contracted to manage the production and installation of all shows and rides, and provide construction management consultancy services for Phase 1 of Dubai Parks & Resorts.

Raed Al Nuaimi, CEO of Dubai Parks & Resorts, said: "A mega project such as Dubai Parks & Resorts requires partners that have a strong track record in developing and delivering leisure and entertainment concepts of this scale.

"Following a stringent bidding process we have selected consultants and contractors with whom we are working closely to deliver an entertainment experience that brings to life the UAE leadership's vision of positioning Dubai as a leading global tourist destination."

Taking shape at Jebel Ali, the first phase of Dubai Parks & Resorts will comprise three theme parks - Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai, and LEGOLAND Dubai. The development will also feature Riverpark - a grand entrance plaza and Lapita, a family themed HOTEL. The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2016.

The project, which aims to help Dubai reach its target of attracting 20 million tourists by 2020 and was first announced in 2012, will cost AED10 billion ($2.77 billion) to build.