Phase 1 was funded by shareholders,
Phase 2 to 5 are being financed
externally. “The fundamental
principle of the development is to
ensure that there is no change to
the topography of the area, and to
maintain the look and feel of RAH as
well as to create harmony with nature.
We don’t want to make it completely
urbanised,” Ahmed adds.
“Phase 2, in which 210 units are
expected to be completed Q1 2019,
Phases 3 and 4 will be awarded this year
and the final phase of development,
Phase 5, will be undertaken in 2019.
A total of 800 units is expected to be
completed in three years’ time, which
is a challenging time frame but we are
optimistic of achieving it.
“Once complete, the residential
development will have 1,067 units
housing a population of 4,000 to
5,000. At least 30% of the integrated
community will be Omanis. We want to
create a real value proposition for our
employees,” says Ahmed.
Supporting Omani Businesses
Maximising In-Country Value (ICV) is
a priority at RAHDP. All construction
contracts have been awarded to local
contractors and SMEs and the majority
of materials used in the project are
local products. “We have ensured that
a number of Omanis are employed in
the RAHDP with a plan to train more
Omanis in skilled jobs,” avers Ahmed.
“We want to enhance ICV for all our
construction contracts. At the moment,
around 70 per cent of raw materials
are produced locally. We are also
making continuous efforts to involve
more SMEs.”
Ahmed adds that one of the key
objectives of the project is to reduce
energy consumption and there are a
number of initiatives that have been
introduced to help achieve this goal.
One such idea, which will boost energy
efficiency, is the use of solar street
lights on the residential development’s
roads and light-emitting diode (LED)
lights for buildings. “We have partnered
with local SMEs for the solar project