The developer of a luxury five-star hotel in Dubai has scrapped plans for a refrigerated beach due to concerns over the environmental impact, its managing director said in remarks published on Sunday.

Emirates Sunland Group’s Soheil Abedian said the idea of a chilled beach “sounded good at the time”, but consultants concluded the cooling system’s high energy consumption would be environmentally unsustainable, UAE daily the National reported on Sunday.

The beach would have been chilled through a system of pipes under the sand.

“The idea, as good as it sounded at the time, is not right for today,” Abedian was quoted as saying.

Emirates Sunland Group is building the $626 million Palazzo Versace Dubai near Dubai creek. The hotel will consist of 217 rooms and 169 private residences.

Abedian said construction on the project is “well under way” despite an economic downturn that has seen billions of dollars worth of projects cancelled in Dubai

He said 80 percent of the private residences have been sold and buyers have paid on average 50 to 60 percent of the amount owed.

However, Abedian admitted sales have slowed in recent months and the Emirates Sunland is having to be more accommodating to buyers with respect to payments.