The contract follows the award of an estimated $250m contract to UAE-based Dodsal last year to build villas at Jumeirah Park.

Jumeirah Park is spread over an area of 3.2 square kilometres. Work will cover the construction of three and four-bedroom villas. The first villas be ready by 2009.

Beirut-based Dar al-Handasah (Shair & Partners) is the consultant, US-based Edsa prepared the masterplan, the local Al-Khatib Cracknell is the landscape consultant and Australia's Bovis Lend Lease is the project manager.

Local developer Nakheel is the client (MEED 20:7:07).

The contract is the latest to be awarded by Nakheel for villas in Dubai. In July, the local Al-Shafar Transport and Contracting Company was awarded a AED600m contract to build 300 villas and homes at its Al-Furjan development in the Jebel Ali area. In early June the local Arabtec Construction was awarded an estimated AED3bn contract to build 1,500 homes, again at Al-Furjan.