A multi-storey building (MSB) is a building exceeding four floors and/or 15.25m in height (for hospital buildings, the height can be up to 17m).
Requirements for granting MSB approvals
1. Access road width shall be a minimum of 18m.
2. Plot frontage should not be less than 25m (40 m for category III building).
3. Maximum permissible FSI ranges from 1.50 to 2.50 depending on the category of the building (buildings are divided into 3 categories - category 1a, 1b, II, and III under CMDA areas). For hospital buildings, an additional 0.25 FSI is allowed.
4. Maximum height for buildings in category Ia: G + 6 floors or stilt + 7 floors, subject to a maximum height of 24m. For category Ib: G + 8 floors or stilt + 9 floors, subject to a maximum of 30m. For category II and III buildings: A maximum height of 60m where the width of the abutting road is a minimum of 18m; if it exceeds 60m, the width of abutting road should be a minimum 30.5m.
5. Minimum extent of plots in areas under the jurisdiction of the CMDA shall be 1,200 sq.m. (for building category I), 1,500 sq.m. (for category II), 2,500 sq.m. (for category III), and 4 grounds (9,600 sq.ft.) in areas under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning.
6. Maximum coverage shall be between 30 per cent and 50 per cent depending on the category of the building.
7. Minimum setback shall be 7m (additional setback to be provided for buildings above 30m in height).
8. Internal vehicular access way within the site shall have a clear width of 7.2m.
9. In cases where the extent of the site (where the proposed residential or predominantly residential developments) exceeds 10,000 sq.m. (1 hectare), the developer shall reserve a minimum 10 per cent area (excluding roads if any handed over to local body), and provide housing for lower income groups with dwelling units not exceeding 45 sq.m. in floor area each, either within the site proposed for MSB development or in a location within a radius of 2kms from the site under reference.
10. Premium FSI of 1 over and above the permissible FSI is allowed subject to road width parameters.
11. Waste management infrastructure should be provided in residential developments with over 100 dwelling units. If the dwelling units exceed 50, or have 2,500 sq.m. of commercial area, a sewage treatment plant must be provided with prior approval from the Pollution Control Board (applicable in areas where sewage systems provided by metro water or the local body is not available).
12. An NOC from the Tahsildar stating that — it is not a Poromboke land, no 4(1) notification issued by Government for acquisition, site is not covered under Land Reforms Act, 1961, site is not covered under Land Ceiling Act, 1978, and the site will not be affected by flood during the monsoon — is mandatory.
13. For sites exceeding 2,500 sq.m., a site plan ensuring 10 per cent of the land as Open Space Reservation land should be contiguous.
14. Documents from the Tahsildar highlighting FMB/Town Survey Sketch, patta/chitta/town survey land records, ‘A’ register extract, village map copy, and details of any water body passing through the site are necessary.
15. A legal opinion from the government pleader and notary public should attest all copies of title deed documents.
16. Rainwater harvesting and solar water heating systems should be shown in the approved drawings.
17. A certificate from a chartered engineer or soil mechanics engineer stating that the soil is having a safe bearing capacity for the proposed height of the MSB.
18. Details like the soil test report from a reputed firm, STP report with detailed calculations and drawings should be furnished.
19. An NOC from the following agencies should be obtained:
a) Fire service department
b) National highway/ state highway department (if approach road is through NH/SH)
c) Civil aviation department (if applicable)
d) Doordarshan/All India Radio (if applicable)
e) Traffic police department
f) Electricity department
g) Pollution control board
h) TWAD board
The author is a Chennai-based advocate and an advisor to the Government of Kerala
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