CDP cuts down on need for parks and open spaces

More land for housing, flexible parking pattern
Deccan Herald

CDP allows smaller CA sites, parks and parking in small layouts, subject to other restrictions.

The draft Master Plan 2015 (revised Comprehensive Development Plan -- CDP), while opening up the green belt for urbanisation, also opens up rules to allow more residences in residential layouts. That is, as much as 55 per cent in any given layout can be used for housing, as against the present 50 per cent rule. Further, it will give a breather to builders planning to cut down on parking space, by allowing a flexible parking pattern.

More housing has been made possible by cutting down on civic amenity (CA) sites. The CDP allows developers to develop a layout with lesser CA sites (sites reserved for public utilities like hospitals or banks and other services).

In fact, for small layouts spanning up to 1 hectare, developers may completely dispense with creating both parks and CA sites. So, watch out if you are planning to buy a site or property in one of these smaller layouts; there will be no parks and lung-spaces nearby. This is allowed with the local authority (BMP or CMC) collecting money from the developer, which goes under a separate head of account (supposed to be set aside to only acquire and create CA sites or parks in neighbouring places).

Earlier, 50 per cent of a layout could be developed for housing, while 10 per cent land was earmarked for parks and open spaces and 15 per cent for CA sites (the rest for roads). However, with residences being allowed up to 55 per cent in each layout, only 10 per cent land need to be set aside for CAs (in layouts over 1 hectare).

Such flexibility won’t apply for existing layouts, BDA officials said.

Park as you please

Another major relaxation proposed by the CDP is for mandatory parking space in residential and commercial buildings.

Any building that comes up on roads less than 4.5 metre wide can completely dispense with parking space, if the builder pays up the requisite ‘compensatory fee’ to the local authority.

The fee, again, would be collected under a specific head of account to acquire land and build a public parking space or complex.

“In the old Petta zone (Chickpet, Cottonpet and Cubbonpet), there is hardly space in each small plot to leave the basement open for parking. So, we will levy a certain fee to allow them to build up the entire space,” a BDA official said.

For structures on roads over 4.5 metres wide, there are other relaxations offered depending on the areas where the building comes up. Officials said that up to 50 per cent of parking space can be exempted in some areas, with a similar compensatory fee levied on the builder or owner. However, the relaxations may come with other riders depending on site area, locality and height of building. These relaxations are yet to be finalised and approved by the government.

Further, while only parking was allowed in basements hitherto, some structures -- such as strong-rooms in banks -- will be allowed from now on.