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UK-led team to develop Qatari school and hospital

29 Sep 21 Two UK development companies are to undertake a £127.5m healthcare and school development in Qatar.

The project is on Qetaifan Island
The project is on Qetaifan Island

UK real estate developer Fenton Whelan, UK investment and development firm Aplomado Investments and Qatari government-owned Qetaifan Projects have entered a partnership to undertake a healthcare facility and an adjoining British private school. The project is located on the £2.2bn Qetaifan Island North development, which is under construction to the north of Doha. It will bring a British private school and British medical care to the island.

To help implement the new UK-Qatar development partnership, Fenton Whelan and Aplomado Investments are working with UK Export Finance, the UK Government’s export credit agency. UK Export Finance is providing an export credit loan to assist with project procurement and logistics. Support has also been offered from the office of the UK’s ambassador to Qatar, Jon Wilks.

The healthcare centre will provide 8,500m2 of medical facilities and heathcare services.

The new British school will provide a 30,245m2 campus with a built-up area of 17,000m2, comprising classrooms, a main school hall, campus library with lounge areas, science and techology building, sports hall and school canteen. The school’s playing fields, tennis courts and grounds will front onto the waters of the salt canal and it is envisaged that students will be able to learn Oxford/Cambridge-style competitive rowing and leisurely riverboat punting on the canal.

Construction of both projects will start in parallel in Q1 2022 and each will have a 24-month construction programme with Fenton Whelan acting as funding facilitator, project designer and development manager.

Sheikh Nasser bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, managing director of Qetaifan Projects, said: ” We are happy to conclude this agreement, which shows the concerted efforts of government bodies and institutions in the country, which are working to provide an attractive investment environment for foreign investments, and perhaps the most prominent of these efforts is starting to implement the freehold law for non-Qataris, which would provide the local market with international standards and options that work on developing and revitalizing sectors such as tourism, hospitality, entertainment and of course real estate development.”

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He added: “We do not consider the medical centre and the school as just an addition to the residents of Qetaifan Island North, but we treat this type of facility as an addition to the whole local real estate development market, which would increase investment opportunities, improve the quality of projects, and allow the real estate developer to focus on the investor by providing appropriate livelihoods and providing projects with the services and facilities necessary to provide an exceptional lifestyle, which in turn will positively affect the value of the investment plots and will encourage entering into more partnerships, whether local, regional or international.”

Qetaifan Projects chief operating officer said: “We are working in Qetaifan Projects on the consolidation of the real estate development value chain, which in turn aims to benefit all parties, starting with the developer and ending with the investor and tenant. Today, and after this agreement, we can say that during the past three years and since the establishment of Qetaifan Projects, our efforts have been crowned by bringing the best investment opportunities to contribute to the development of Qetaifan Island North. There is no doubt that we are happy with this partnership and we look forward to adding more accomplishments to Qetaifan Projects.”

Sanjay Sharma, co-founding director of Fenton Whelan, said: “Fenton Whelan is delighted to have entered this global partnership with Qetaifan Projects to bring medical and educational facilities to Qetaifan Island North. Fenton Whelan is already building an outpatient facility at our new Park Modern development in London and we have chosen to expand and develop in Qatar because we were captivated by the clarity of vision for Qetaifan island North. This unique island destination combines entertainment attractions, residential neighbourhoods, luxurious hotels and world-class facilities creating a community and destination for tourists and local visitors alike.”

James Van Den Heule, co-founding director of Fenton Whelan, said: “The new school and medical centre will provide a unique offering to the Qatari market. Fenton Whelan and its partners chose to invest and develop in Qetaifan island North because we believe that the Qatar economy, tourism and inward investment will continue to thrive and grow as the preparations to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup build.” 

Jeremy Bussey, co-founder and CEO of Aplomado Investments, said: “We are excited to expand our operations to Qatar. Qatar and the UK share a long history of close ties and we are thrilled to be part of its future by contributing to its 2030 vision.”

Samer Malaeb, co-founder and COO of Aplomado Investments, said: “ With our new project on Qetaifan Island North, we are bringing unique UK content to Qatar. We at Aplomado believe that education and healthcare are pillars of economic growth and Qatar is well positioned in the region to lead in these sectors, by being a regional educational and healthcare hub.” 

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