Villas under construction 20 per cent complete on Frond E of The Palm, Jumeirah

The villas, part of Phase I of the project, are at present in the early stages of erection with over 20% of the work completed, and the landscaping and infrastructure contractors are set to begin work at the end of the summer.

The Beachfront villas on the left hand side of Frond E are the first villas set to be completed, followed by those on the right hand side, putting the first phase of construction ahead of schedule. Prior to completion each property's beach will be re-graded to ensure maximum waterfront for home owners prior to taking ownership of the property.

"The Palm, Jumeirah is designed to be a residential environment of unequalled quality giving residents the opportunity to own the most luxurious, waterfront properties to their specifications," said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Nakheel. "We are very conscious of the quality of the villas that are expected by those who have bought and are therefore taking every measure to ensure that the construction is of exceptionally high calibre, which is only what one would expect for any property located on an iconic landmark such as The Palm. It is exciting to see our vision of building the world's eighth wonder become a reality. Our team of over 1,500 professionals are working around the clock to ensure the perfection of these, once-in-a-life-time villas and we expect to see the continued development of this masterpiece throughout the remainder of this year," Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, concluded.

Being one of the busiest fronds in number of villas, Frond E was chosen due to it containing the correct percentage of villa types in the first phase of the construction works. After construction, the team of world renowned interior designers would commence their work on finalising the villas as per customer specifications. Each villa's interior will be designed to high levels of specification in modern, classic or traditional Arabic themes.

As the vibro-compaction continues to be completed on each frond of The Palm, so too the commencement of construction, with villa foundations being laid at present on Fronds D, AP and O and by July 2004 the villas will be underway on all fronds beginning Phase II of the project. Further construction activity will continue rolling out rapidly throughout the remainder of the year.