Abu Dhabi's Lulu Island primed for revamp as development plan confirmed

Abu Dhabi’s 400-hectare man-made Lulu Island is set for development after Eagle Hills Properties confirmed it will oversee a long-planned project to transform the breakwater island into a low-rise residential community that could accommodate up to 20,000 people. Construction activity is already visible on the island, with boats ferrying workers and heavy machinery operating on site, while show homes have appeared facing the city.

“We can confirm that the development will be undertaken by Eagle Hills Properties,” the developer said, adding that “further information regarding the project, including any additional details, will be communicated in due course through our official channels and those of our partners.”

Context and project details

Lulu Island, also known as Al Lulu, was reclaimed between 1986 and 1992 and originally served as a protective breakwater roughly 500 metres off Abu Dhabi’s Corniche. The island has long been eyed for major development: contracts to build were awarded as early as 2002, when Al Geemi Contracting won a Dh25 million development contract, and in 2007 Sorouh Real Estate appointed Miami-based Arquitectonica to devise a masterplan. That momentum stalled after the 2008 financial crisis; Sorouh later merged with Aldar Properties in 2013 and public access to the island was curtailed in January 2009 when a passenger ferry service was halted.

Recent activity marks a renewed push. Boats from Blue Shark Boat Rental have been transporting workers to the island, and recent aerial imagery shows a canal being formed through the centre of the landmass. Eagle Hills Properties is led by Mohamed Alabbar, the Emirati developer noted for founding Emaar and overseeing projects such as Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. The company already develops projects in more than 20 countries and is the builder behind Ramhan Island, another masterplanned waterfront community in Abu Dhabi.

• Island size and history: 400 hectares; reclaimed 1986–1992.
• Previous contracts: Dh25 million awarded in 2002 to Al Geemi Contracting; masterplan work by Arquitectonica in 2007.
• Public openings and pauses: limited public facilities in 2007; ferry service halted in January 2009; island reopened temporarily for Public Art Abu Dhabi in 2023.
• Projected population under Plan Abu Dhabi 2030: up to 20,000 residents.

Expert perspectives

Industry figures say the island’s location and planned scale position it as a prime addition to Abu Dhabi’s residential stock. Lasse Frederik Pedersen, a senior investment adviser at Equiti Real Estates in Dubai, said: “What we're aware about is that they want low-rise buildings and hopefully, in the next 12 months, we should be allowed to have information about apartments, villas and mansions coming to the islands for maximum three or four-floor low-rise buildings.”

Eyal Ashur, founder of Nooma Properties, highlighted access and connectivity as major selling points: “The fact that you have three [potential] connections; you can have a connection to Marina Mall, you can have multiple entries to the Corniche and also to Mina Zayed.”

Outlook

Developers and advisers point to sustained investor demand in Abu Dhabi despite regional volatility. Sales momentum elsewhere in the capital is cited as evidence: Modon sold more than 1,800 units in six days in June, while Hudayriyat Golf Estates has achieved record sales. With Eagle Hills at the helm and visible construction activity already under way, Lulu Island appears poised to move from decades of plans to an active phase of delivery, with detailed proposals and timelines expected to be released by the developer in due course.