Developer Nakheel says it has started work on projects worth AED850 million ($231m) at its Ibn Battuta Mall complex in Dubai.

The works include a new 55-storey residential tower, a 16-screen cinema complex, multi-storey car park and retail expansion, Nakheel said in a statement.

Nakheel has awarded a contract worth nearly AED23 million to Dubai-based National Gulf Constructions for enabling works at the site, it added.

The 55-floor residential tower will have 279 apartments, a pool deck, landscaped grounds, retail space and multi-storey car park. Dubbed Ibn Battuta Residences 2, the tower will have a total built-up area of 675,000 sq ft.

The 16-screen dine-in cinema complex will have its own multi-storey car park with almost 1,400 spaces, directly linked to the mall, Nakheel said.

And the retail expansion includes 53,000 sq ft of shop space and over 600 new parking spaces. The new complex will be linked to Ibn Battuta Residences 2.

The new projects announced on Wednesday “are part of Nakheel’s phased expansion at Ibn Battuta Mall that is transforming the area into a sprawling retail, residential and leisure hub spanning an area of more than seven million square feet,” the developer said.

Subsequent phases include a one million sq ft mall featuring a retractable roof for year-round shopping and dining, and a second hotel.