Civil engineers and building developers in the district have welcomed the state government’s decision to give more powers to local bodies to grant approval for residential buildings based on the town and country planning director’s proposal. The move is expected to simplify the process of obtaining planning permission for smaller residential buildings.
In a government order dated October 13, the state had allowed the local bodies (except in Chennai) to grant planning permission to the residential buildings up to a height of 12 metres and a built-up area of 10,000sqft with a maximum of eight dwelling units spread over stilt plus three floors or ground plus two floors.
Until recently, the local bodies (except in Chennai) could grant approval for only residential buildings up to a height of 12 meters and a built-up area of 7,000sqft with a maximum of eight dwelling units spread over stilt plus three floors or ground plus two floors.
As per the government order, the local bodies (except in Chennai) could continue to grant permission to the commercial buildings with a built-up area up to 2,000sqft, if they are up to stilt plus two floors or ground plus one floor.
Public will have to approach the Local Planning Authority (LPA) for buildings exceeding the given limit, according to sources.
Welcoming the move, S Jagatheeswaran, public relations officer, Coimbatore Civil Engineers’ Association, said the move would reduce the time taken to get the planning approval by at least 50%.
“We had to approach the LPA officials to obtain permission for all the residential buildings that were above 7,000sqft so far. After getting their green signal, we had to approach the local body to get the clearance. It used to take a few months to obtain all the necessary approvals. By that time, the cost of rate materials and labourers’ wage would have increased, forcing us to revise the project cost,” he said.
He said the government should have considered increasing the limit for commercial buildings to at least 8,000sqft.
S Kanagasundaram, president, Association of Registered Professional Engineers, said the government had to clarify certain points to ensure that the public enjoy the full benefits of the move. “In the government order, the word built-up area – complete dimensions of the buildings including the thickness of the wall – is used, but in all other related orders and norms they have used the term floor space – usable space in a building. There is a difference between the both and the government should clarify the same.”
He said presently a combination of online and manual method was used to accord the planning permission. “If it is made completely online, it would further benefit the public.”