Aldar Properties, a leading listed property development company in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Saturday broke ground on its new residential development, Ansam, at Yas Island.

The UAE developer said Ansam is currently the first and only residential development on Yas Island available for purchase for both Emiratis and expatriates.

The development features four Andalusian-style apartment buildings comprising over 500 apartments overlooking the Yas Links golf course and the Yas Island waterfront.

Owing to the quality of the apartments on offer, all units available for sale were sold out on the first day of sales in June 2014 and will be handed over to owners in 2017, said a senior official.

"This groundbreaking not only marks the start of construction of Ansam but also the start of the building of Aldar's next development pipeline, which will see us launch a significant number of residential units over the next five years," stated CEO Mohammad Al Mubarak.

"The building of Ansam is also another major step forward in the Yas Island story which recently saw the opening of Yas Mall to critical acclaim," he added.

Ansam will offer both Emiratis and expatriates with resort-style living amongst some of Abu Dhabi’s most popular leisure and entertainment venues.

The project is close to the Yas Marina Formula One Circuit, Yas Waterworld, the Ferrari World theme park, Yas Mall,  Yas Viceroy, Yas Marina and the Yas Links golf club.

Each of these buildings will be integrated into a landscaped setting and provide high-quality amenities designed to meet the needs of a family-oriented community, such as barbeque areas, infinity pools, kids’ pools, gymnasiums, and multi-purpose halls to host indoor functions.-TradeArabia News Service