A MEGA resort complex based on a classic European theme is taking shape on The World, a man-made archipelago of 200 islands off Dubai’s coast.

The Heart of Europe is a complex of luxury hotels and villas stretching across six small islands that is being developed by the Dubai-based Kleindienst Group.

The project is expected to have the world’s first snow-lined streets, created using state-of-the-art German technology, according to the Emirates 24/7 English-language daily.

Construction work has just started and will continue until end of 2016, with vibro-compaction of all six islands under way to prepare them for buildings to be erected.

The Heart of Europe comprises six islands: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden and St Petersburg with six additional destinations being Sochi, Belgium, Luxembourg, Geneva, Monte Carlo and Poland. The project will feature many five-star luxury plaza boutique hotels with a vast array of dining and nightlife options with the “only outdoor climate controlled areas in the world”.

Local press reports have put the cost at more than $800 million for the project that will rise on the 60-sq-km archipelago comprising more than 200 islands laid out in the shape of a world map.