Haryana’s Town and Country Planning Minister, J P Dalal, announced on Tuesday that the state government has approved stilt-plus-four floor (S+4) construction in the state.
This permission is extended to old colonies under certain conditions. He believes that the government’s decision will greatly benefit the general public.
According to the official statement, permission for S+4 constructions will be granted without conditions for residential plots in colonies and sectors where the layout plan has been approved, with four floors per plot.
Furthermore, permission for S+4 constructions will be granted in previously licenced Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jan Awas Yojana colonies where the service plan has been approved/revised for four dwelling units per plot.
The Policy Allowing Stilt-Plus-Four-Floors On Residential Plots
Notably, after more than a year of ban, the new decision on stilt-plus-four floors is based on the recommendations of an expert committee. The policy allowing four-story plus stilt houses on residential plots was put on hold 16 months ago.
The government informed the assembly, that permission had been granted to build four-story houses with stilt parking in the different sectors of Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran. However, after receiving several complaints, the government formed a committee to investigate the matter.
Dalal stated that in colonies and sectors where the layout plan includes three dwelling units per plot, S+4 construction will be permitted under certain conditions for residential plots with access from a 10-meter or wider road.
Stilt-Plus-Four-Floors Construction Will Be Permitted With A 10-Meter Wider Road
In such colonies, if a person wishes to construct S+4, a mutual consent agreement with all adjoining plot owners is required, with the exception of those who have already obtained S+4 approval or who maintain a side setback of 1.8 metres from adjoining plots.
However, the government has made it clear that if adjoining plot owners refuse to consent to S+4 construction, they will be ineligible for future S+4 projects.
Dalal clarified that if a plot has already been approved for three floors and a basement and now S+4 construction is permitted, basement construction and loading on the common wall will be prohibited.
Stilt-Plus-Four-Floors Will Not Be Permitted On Plots Less Than 10 Metres Wide
However, in such cases, basement construction and loading on the common wall will be allowed with the mutual agreement of the adjacent plot owners.
Moreover, if the entire row of residential plots is built at once for building plan approval and construction, permission to build the common wall will be granted. Basement construction will not be permitted on plots less than 10 metres wide or 250 square metres in area, he stated.
He stated that various agencies have collected Rs 1178.95 crore in lieu of S+4 approvals, with the Town and Country Planning Department contributing Rs 689.8 crore.
Stilt-Plus-Four-Floors Allowed Only After Approving Building Plans
This amount will be used to improve infrastructure in all sectors/colonies, he stated. He stated that the department will create a portal to address S+4 issues and periodically make various information public, including permissions for S+4 floors.
He stated that in order to eliminate the practice of covering the stilt area, a condition will be imposed in the future when approving building plans or granting occupation certificates: if the stilt floor is fully or partially covered, the building plan approval or occupancy certificate will be considered withdrawn.
There Are Further Possible Difficulties On Stilt-Plus-Four-Floors Approval
Impact on Infrastructure: The implementation of the policy is contingent upon the existence of adequate infrastructure to support the increased population density.
Developer Reaction: It is unclear if developers would give preference to high-end or low-cost housing choices.
Neighbour Consent Obstacle: Getting approval for higher constructions on corner plots from every neighbouring plot owner may take a while.
Source-ET
