Local developer Emaar Properties has received expressions of interest from contractors for the deal to build a new shopping mall.

The regional mall will be built at the Dubai Hills development, which is part of Mohammed bin Rashid City.

Contractors are already working on the project. The local Engineering Contracting Company (ECC) is working on the Mulberry Heights residential buildings, and the local Al-Basti Muktha is building villas at the development.

The Dubai Hills development covers an area of 11 million square metres and includes gated villa communities, a commercial centre and high-end retail centres, as well as low-rise and mid-rise residences, hotels and serviced hotel apartments.

There will also be schools, clinics, mosques and an 18-hole golf course.

Canada’s EllisDon is the programme manager for the development.

In June, Emaar approached contractors for construction work on the world’s largest shopping mall at its Dubai Creek Harbour development.

According to sources close to the project, the retail district is expected to have an area of 1.4 million square metres. It is not clear if that is the total gross leasable area. Emaar’s Dubai Mall, which is the world’s largest shopping centre by total area, has a total area of 1.124 million sq m. The biggest mall in the world by gross leasable area is China’s New South China Mall in Dongguan, with 670,000 sq m.