Town planning norms for housing, tourism, commercial projects eased

The Himachal Pradesh Government has proposed amendments to the Town and Country Planning Rules, 2014, paving the way for greater flexibility in residential, commercial and tourism-related constructions.

According to a notification issued by the Town and Country Planning Department, the draft Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (Sixteenth Amendment) Rules, 2025, aim to simplify and relax existing norms on setbacks, maximum floor area ratio (FAR) and permissible building height.

The proposed changes will facilitate the construction of detached and semi-detached houses, row houses with a common wall, shopping complexes, tourism units such as hotels and entertainment facilities like cineplexes and multiplexes. Provisions have also been included to ease regulations for parking spaces, including multi-level parking facilities.

The amendments have been framed under Section 87 of the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act, 1977 (Act No. 12 of 1977). The government has invited objections and suggestions from the public within 30 days of the notification, addressed to the Chief Secretary.