Keppel Land says it expects to launch the first edition of homes in the waterfront residential cum marina development in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, China, in early 2012.

It also announced it had acquired an additional 66 hectares of the waterfront site.

The first edition homes will feature luxurious villas of various sizes in excess of 400 square metres. Construction is scheduled to commence in phases from end-2010.

Keppel Land had first announced in April 2008 its interest to develop premium waterfront homes in the affluent Pearl River Delta region of Zhongshan, located on MoDao Island in the Shenwan Town of Zhongshan City. Carried out in phases, the acquisition was done through Sunseacan Investment (HK) Company, of which Keppel Land has an 80% stake through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sunsea Yacht Club (Zhongshan) Co.

When completed, the 86-hectare development will yield about 2,000 luxurious villas with private berths, condominium units and serviced apartments. The total development cost for the first phase is estimated to cost about RMB 1.1 billion ($225 million).

Targeted at the upper-middle income segment, launch for the first edition of waterfront homes is expected in early-2012 and

Fronting the Xijiang River, the integrated development is about 35 km, or a 20-minute drive to Zhongshan’s city centre and is well-connected by air, sea and land infrastructure. It has access to six international and domestic airports within a 100-kilometre radius, a well-established network of ferry services to Hong Kong and Macau as well as a convenient network that links to major expressways.

With the completion of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity rail link by end-2010, travelling time between Zhongshan and Guangzhou will be reduced to less than 30 minutes. Accessibility will be further enhanced when the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is completed by 2016.