Sunday, March 18, 2007

Tell me they're not!

The Burj al Arab beach has a very long fence going up, all the way from Umm Suqeim Fishing Port to beyond Umm Suqeim Park. It looks horribly like a typical construction site fence.



No signs, anonymous trucks, no logos on the workers' boiler suits.



More worrying, a construction site office is in place next to the Fishing Port.



So what are they up to? Not another development surely? We've lost more than enough beach already, from the very little that Dubai had to start with.

Not only residents would be disadvantaged, so would the tourist industry - a hell of a lot of them come for the beaches. It's what city-dwellers do for their holiday, go to a beach. And this one is a real tourist attraction because of the photographs of themselves with Burj al Arab in the background that they take.

I'm sure there will be news about what it's for before too long. Fingers crossed...

9 comments:

samuraisam said...

If they are developing I am severely disappointed. Apparantly a monopoly on the communications industry just isn't enough and the UAE has to have a monopoly on all the beaches with their stupid overpriced resorts.

I linked to this on the community blog, hope you don't mind.

samay said...

that is quite disappointing...i used to love visiting that part since its usually not that crowded..sigh...dubai surely has changed..and i guess more changes are yet to come..

Stained said...

I noticed it today when I went to the beach to chill in the nice weather...If they close it up it would really suck....damn I've got great memories connected to the beach near Burj....

Waiting anxiously for any news... :|

Harsha said...

omg.. till about a year and a half ago, I'd go wit my family every friday morning to the beach.. slowly the trips became less often and now we dont go atall cuz apparently there too little a beach left anyway, and whatever's left it too crowded.

This little piece is where I hung around sometimes after a stressfull week or class in the evenings.. and now this seems to be dissapearing too.

About tourits, yea I often saw tourist buses stopping by here.. now what?

Basil K. said...

Here's more on the subject... They really r closing it...

http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Development/10112112.html

trailingspouse said...

There's a confusing, and conflicting, report in KT today. I suspect they may be confusing the open beach in Umm Suqeim with what is generally known as "Jumeirah Open Beach" next to Dubai Marine Beach Resort in Jumeirah 1. I have to wonder if all the reclamation/renovations going on down there (Jumeirah 1) are in fact an attempt to "replace" the open beach in Umm Suqeim.

As you say, SB, Dubai promotes itself as a "sun and sand" destination. Only thing is most people assume the "sand" part refers to a beach . . . not just the desert!

Anonymous said...

isn't this the area being developed along a 'traditional Moroccan fishing village' theme? open beach to remain, but shops, caffs, etc to be built on the strip

nzm said...

I left a comment on Trailing Spouse's blog a couple of months ago after there were drilling rig trucks on Umm Suqeim III (Sunset) beach doing pile testings.

At the moment, there's also a piling platform anchored quite a way off the beach which is doubly disturbing because if that's how far the reclamation is going into the sea, it's a bloody long way out.

We're staying with friends on this beach. du has just erected a large antenna smack in front of the house which is powered by a diesel generator, running 24/7. The noise is unbelieveable and the fumes coming from it are disgusting. We can no longer sit in the courtyard.

Add in the construction due to begin, and it looks as if it's time to move out of the area!

I can't imagine that this is going to be good, not only for the effect on the environment, but also for the neighbouring Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

The biggest devastation is that the normal citizens of Dubai lose one of the last and best free beaches.

No more walking, running, sunbathing, swimming, surfing, staring at the Burj, photography, soccer, kiteflying, bbqs, watching the sun go down on this beach.

It's sad. :-(

Seabee said...

dances, isn't that what they were talking about for Jumeirah Open Beach?