Plans are underway to build and open the first school on the Pearl-Qatar, its developer and operator has said.

A 83,746 square meter site in the under-construction Giardino Villas precinct has already been earmarked for the development, according to an advertisement placed by United Development Co. (UDC) in Qatar newspapers last week.

The notice asks investors to submit proposals for the project, which will include a private nursery and school.

The school will be run by a yet-to-be determined international education operator and cater to children ages 3 to 18 years old, Hisham Al-Enbaby, UDC’s acting executive director for development, told Doha News.

“The school is one of the vital projects on the Pearl-Qatar,” he said, adding that he hoped further details would be available around September, once a developer has been chosen.

Work on the site is “tentatively” expected to start early next year, after a developer and operator have been selected, he added.

Congestion

The prospect of a school on the island will likely be welcomed by Pearl residents, many of whom battle with traffic congestion that can be particularly bad in the early morning as parents leave at a similar time.

The island is being built in stages and by 2018, is expected to have nearly 19,000 villas, apartments, chalets and townhouses. So far, only a fraction of these are occupied.

According to the Pearl-Qatar’s website, Giardino Villas is a residential area that “promises to be one of the finest and most luxurious residential dwellings” in the country.

Plans for the development include detached “luxury” villas, set in gated communities and surrounded by gardens and landscaping and with clubhouses and sports facilities on site.

Last December, UDC was offering discounts for investors who bought plots in bulk on the development. Villas could be built according to their own needs but should adhere to the area’s “minimum aesthetic expectations.”

Thoughts?