Chandigarh: Proposed amendments to the Chandigarh Master Plan (CMP) 2031 could pave the way for a significant expansion of housing and mixed-use development in the city, with the UT administration seeking to unlock large tracts of vacant land and permit higher-density construction.Officials believe the changes could help address Chandigarh’s growing housing demand, improve affordability and make home ownership accessible to a larger section of residents.A key component of the proposal is the near doubling of the city’s mixed land use (MLU) area. The draft amendments also propose increasing the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and encouraging vertical growth in selected areas.According to officials, the measures are intended to increase the housing stock within the city’s limited land resources and reduce pressure on surrounding towns.“Over the years, owning a house in Chandigarh has moved beyond the reach of most income groups. Even govt agencies such as the Chandigarh Housing Board have struggled to deliver affordable housing because of restrictive FAR norms, limits on building heights and severe scarcity of developable land,” said a senior UT official. He added, “As a result, a large section of the middle class has been pushed towards peripheral towns, where civic infrastructure often struggles to keep pace with population growth.”Under the proposed amendments, the existing mixed land use corridor along Vikas Marg will be extended by 1.5 kilometres on the south-western side up to the Chandigarh-Punjab boundary, where it connects with PR-5 Road in Mohali. The extension will be carved out of the reserved area of Pocket No. 8.In addition, nearly 78 acres of vacant land in the sub-city centre, Sector 43, adjoining the corridor, will be brought under mixed land use.Another 60 acres of undeveloped land in Industrial Area Phase III has been proposed for conversion to mixed-use development.The housing potential of the peripheral areas within the city will also be tapped with proposed high-rise housing. Currently, these areas have only been used for development of rehabilitation colonies.With the proposed additions, Chandigarh’s total mixed land use area will increase from 252 acres to 428 acres. The administration has also proposed that any pocket falling within the 300-foot wide corridor along Vikas Marg, but not previously counted in the MLU inventory, will automatically be governed by mixed land use norms.Housing Potential in IT ParkThe proposed amendments also aim to unlock nearly 130 acres of land in Chandigarh’s IT Park, where development has remained stalled due to environmental restrictions on high-rise construction.Under the existing CMP-2031 provisions, new plotted residential development is not permitted. However, the proposed IT Habitat project could not take off after the ministry of environment, forest and climate change flagged concerns in 2022 that high-rise buildings near the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary could disrupt migratory bird routes.“To overcome this hurdle, the administration has proposed allowing plotted and flatted development in the IT Habitat area. Officials say the move would enable optimum utilisation of the land and unlock significant housing potential without violating environmental restrictions on building heights,” said the official.At par with national and global normsThe proposed amendments also seek to strengthen Chandigarh’s industrial base by revisiting planning norms for the 153-acre Industrial Area Phase III in the Raipur Kalan-Mauli Jagran belt. The administration notes that Industrial Areas I, II and III together occupy about 1,410 acres, or just 4.8% of the city’s area—well below the 7% to 8% industrial land use recommended by urban planners and at the lower end of the 5% to 15% range seen in many global cities.“To optimise industrial land use, the draft proposes enhanced FAR norms in Industrial Areas I and II. The increase would raise the permissible built-up area to over 15.24 lakh square metres in Industrial Area I and 7.86 lakh square metres in Industrial Area II, while creating parking capacity for more than 23,000 equivalent car spaces (ECS),” the official said.
