Nakheel fees plan for Shoreline delayed again

Residents of the Palm Jumeirah Shoreline development received a temporary reprieve when Nakheel did not require the payment of fees for access to the gym, beach and pool as planned.

DUBAI // Nakheel has postponed its plans to charge membership fees to residents of the Palm Jumeirah Shoreline development for beach, gym and pool access for a second time.

Yesterday's delay marked an apparent concession to Shoreline property owners and Dubai's property regulator, both of whom have called such memberships unacceptable.

Several disputes between the two sides remain, however, over what rights the residents of the 20-tower luxury community have over their use of the facilities.

Nakheel first delayed its plan to impose membership fees in late December, a few days after Marwan bin Ghalaita, the head of Dubai's Real Estate Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera), said residents should be allowed to access the facilities without buying memberships.

The developer had originally planned to impose the fees on January 1, then issued a reprieve until January 15, but by yesterdayno action had been taken.

"This issue is under review by Rera, and we await their decision on the way forward. Naturally, we will respect whatever decision they make," the Nakheel chairman, Ali Rashid Lootah, said in a statement earlier this month.

Other unresolved disputes over beach, pool and gym access centre around the payment of service fees, which are levied on owners to fund the upkeep of the property, and guest passes.

Nakheel has required residents to have all service fees outstanding on their units paid before they can receive an access card to use the facilities. The measure has hit tenants, who are not responsible for paying the charges.

Owners, with written backing by Rera, say they should only have to pay a subset of the service fees that have been approved by the regulatory body.

Nakheel had planned yesterday to require access cards for entrance to the residential towers and car parks as well - a move that had worried tenants whose units have outstanding fees. According to notices posted around the property, however, this measure will be postponed until January 31.

Nakheel also angered residents by requiring their guests to buy a day pass to use the beach, pool and gym.