Mumbai: The State government on Thursday published a notification for the Development Plan (DP) 2034, which will come into effect a month from the publication in the gazette. The DP, along with the Development Control and Promotion Regulations, will be the city’s blueprint for the next 20 years.
The civic body had been in the process of creating a DP for about three years. The process was completed recently, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis signed the new plan on April 24, 2018.
The DP has pushed for more construction in an attempt to re-populate the city. Development rights have hiked from floor space index (FSI) of 2 to 3 (including premium and TDR), which can further be extended if fungible FSI is applicable.
The FSI is the ratio of construction allowed on a plot to the size of the plot. This has been done keeping in mind the better infrastructure and a dip in population. At present, the total area under housing is a paltry 22% and planners want to bring that to 50%.
The DP envisages creation of one million affordable homes. It has therefore designated some areas, which were no development zones (NDZ), as special development zones. Of the 3,355 hectares of NDZ, 2,100 hectares will be set aside for affordable housing. Another 330 hectares from salt pan lands will be added to the land pool for this purpose.
The FSI for commercial establishments has been pegged at 5 as the total area under commercial zones is limited. Besides, the per capita office space will be increased. Thus, creation of office spaces and business districts will get high incentives on the lines of Lower Parel and BKC. The government wants to create eight million jobs through spatial planning.
Areas around Metro interchanges will see an even higher density as the FSI can go higher than 5. Creation of commercial establishments near such interchanges will allow the FSI go higher than 5 upon payment of premium.
However, the FSI regime is linked to road width. Only areas with road width more than nine metres will be able to avail of additional FSI to ensure infrastructure matches population.
The State has announced 15% free FSI for redevelopment of private buildings. Besides, citizens now have the choice to design their own houses as long as they do not disturb structural elements or plumbing systems.
The new DP also provides independent FSI provisions for gaothans, koliwada and tribal pockets, while newer FSI regulations have been created for funnel areas around the airport.
“The DP will come into effect one month after publication in the gazette. However, all the substantial changes made to it have been kept in the excluded part. Citizens will have a say on these changes as they will have 30 days to submit suggestions and objections. Due process will be followed where substantial changes are involved,” Nitin Kareer, principal secretary, urban development, said.
The BMC has set aside about ₹2,000 crore in its annual budget for the DP implementation this year.
