Anything goes under new zoning rule from cyber cafes to auto repairs!

MASTER PLAN 2015 / Anything goes under new zoning rule from cyber cafes to auto repairs!
Residential peace at peril
By P M Raghunandan, DH News Service, Bangalore:
The State government recently notified the Bangalore Development Authority master plan for the next 10 years growth of Bangalore metropolitan area. Bangaloreans are wondering about changes being made with regard to land use, setback rules, opening up of green belt area, new housing projects and others. In this backdrop, Deccan Herald runs a series of reports on various aspects of the plan from today.

Though the plan speaks of Residential Main Zone, it has also made provision for ancillary land use where commercial activities like darshinis, tea stalls, gyms, mutton and poultry shops, small repair shops, fuel stations and pumps, kal-yanamantaps and such are allowed.

Corporate offices, shopping complexes, restaurants, banquet halls, multiplexes, exhibition ce-ntres, amusement parks... The business-friendly, ‘mi-xed’ residential zoning, introduced in the Bangalore Development Authority’s Master Plan 2015, permits a wide range of commercial activities that will have enough potential to make the relative tranquillity of residential areas a thing of the past.

Commercial activities can be taken up on any plot facing 50 ft to 60 ft road in a mixed zone.


The only rider is that 30 per cent of the plot size could be used for commercial purposes. These can be a corporate office or an amusement centre or even an auto garage.

However, all plots facing less than 50 ft road, will remain away from these activities, except for bus bays, auto stands, parking areas, information kiosks, service stations and filling centres.

Though the plan speaks of Residential Main Zone, it has also made provision for ‘ancillary’ land use where commercial activities like darshinis, tea stalls, gyms, mutton and poultry shops, ‘small’ repair shops, fuel stations and pumps, kal-yanamantaps and such are allowed.

Ancillary land use is permitted up to 20 per cent of total built-up area if the plot is facing 60 ft road.

No conversion
That’s not all. There is no need to apply for land use conversion. The land use for all these categories of plots will get automatically converted.

One just needs to obtain a licence to start the particular trade. Further, BDA will give higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for these plot owners.

The old master plan (1995-2005) had exclusive zoning rules, with provision only for residential, commercial and ‘others’. And for starting any commercial venture, one had to reckon with a lengthy land use conversion procedure, which also includes one-month public notice calling for objections from neighbours.

“In fact, strict zoning was the reason for rampant violations across the City. All activities permitted in the new plan are a must in the neighbourhood. If you don’t allow, they will come up, illegally,” argues Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) Commissioner Sh-ankarlinge Gowda.

“Look at Koramangala and Jayanagar, for example. They are vibrant and self-sustaining because of mixed zoning. Our plan is to create such environment all over Bangalore,” he adds.

Based on the master plan, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike will bring in changes in its building bye-laws in the coming days.

HARD TO FIND
The BDA Master Plan copies seem to have been printed without taking readers’ eye into consideration.
Indicators on maps are printed in too small fonts. For instance, location of shadow areas are shown in a map (Figure IV-10) on page 56 in volume 1. Here, font size of indicators on the map is so small that the reader is not able to make out anything. There are many such maps in four volumes. Moreover, the authority is not giving soft copies of the master plan. Sources in the authority said that BDA has not yet planned to issue soft copies. The master plan comprises four volumes. First volume includes key principles of the revised master plan 2015, details regarding principles of macro zoning and proposals envisioning the City by 2015 as well as a series of maps and graphics. Volume 2 deals with proposed land use plans. Land use zonal regulations are given in volume 3. Details on 47 planning districts are in volume 4.

ACTIVITIES ALLOWED IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES

*Commercial-1: Petty shops, stationary, milk booths, tutorial centres, hair dressing and beauty parlours, professional services, tailoring & dry cleaning, bakery and sweetmeat shops, pathology labs, and recreational clubs.
*Commercial-2: Dharshinis and tea stalls, gyms, orphanages, retail and hardware shops banks, ATM counters, mutton/poultry stalls, cyber cafes, small repair shops, photo studios, fuel stations and pumps, and kalyanamantapas.
*Commercial-3: Commercial & corporate offices, retail shopping complexes, restaurants/hotels, convention centres and banquet halls, financial institutions, cinema and multiplexes, exhibition centres, amusement parks, hospitals, and automobile repair centres and garages.
(*Note: These activities are allowed on plots facing over 50 ft road)