Housing policy tweaked to permit more flats per acre

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 22

The Punjab Housing Department has tweaked its “Affordable Housing Policy”, giving additional incentives, including allowing more flats, increased saleable area, less parking and better floor area ratio (FAR).

“This has been achieved by allowing a realistic 60 per cent saleable area, removing mandatory school, dispensary and religious site and instead giving a community centre. Moreover, an FAR of 1:3 for group housing socities,” said a senior official of the department.

Sarvjit Singh, Secretary, Housing, said the policy would give a secure alternative to people who get trapped in illegal colonies.

The department has reduced saleable area from 65 per cent to 60 per cent and increased green areas from 6 per cent to 8 per cent of the project area.

Clearing misconception about reduction in saleable area, an official said, “In the earlier policy, actual saleable area came to near 55 per cent against 65 allowed on papers. Now, with more incentives, the actual saleable area will be 60 per cent,” said a senior official in the town planning wing.

In case of parking, equivalent car space (ECS) for a 600 sq yd plot has been reduced to 0.5 ECS from 1 ECS.

For a plot above 600 sq yd and up to 900 sq yd, an ECS of one has been allowed in the tweaked policy.

Explaining the new policy, an official said unplanned growth was happening on the outskirts of towns and this policy would help in curtailing it.

For areas under SAS Nagar Master Plan, a minimum 25 acres and 10 acres and for New Chandigarh Master Plan minimum 100 acres and five acres are required, respectively.

At present, the department has prepared a master plan of only 44 of the 156 towns.

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