RPS Bristol appointed consultant on £1bn Dubai eco-town

Design, planning and environmental consultant RPS Bristol has been appointed to develop a flamboyant businessman’s eco-town dream.

EcoStar, the £1bn sustainable town and holiday resort in the desert of Dubai, could become a memorial to Jameel Hashmee, a Bristol-based businessman who was the driving force behind a scheme.

His vision was for a star-shaped town of 8,000 people situated 20 miles inland from the coast which would have a zero-carbon footprint.

The concept contains cutting edge technology to minimise the town’s impact on the environment and includes a five million ft² mix of homes, leisure facilities, offices and retail development.

Colin Bloch, RPS director, said: “The power would come from five wind turbines at the points of the star, each 650 ft high and the tallest in the world, and from solar panels, while at least 50% of the water used in the development would be recycled.

“The centerpiece of the scheme would be a recreation of the Taj Mahal which would be the most exclusive boutique hotel in the world.

“But he also wanted the resort to be a place which all people could afford to visit – not just the fabulously wealthy.

“This is one of the most exciting projects that we at RPS have undertaken and incorporates the latest environmental technology and sustainable materials.”

RPS has also produced a blueprint for an alternative offshore version of EcoStar Dubai built on man-made islands in the warm waters of the Gulf.

Bloch said: “Whichever is eventually built, it will be a great memorial to an extraordinary man who loved life and had great vision and enthusiasm.”

Hashmee died suddenly last December aged 57 on a family visit to Pakistan.