G.O. (Ms.) No.190, Approval of Draft Second Master Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area 2026, 2008

What the government approved

The Housing and Urban Development (UD I) Department, through G.O. (Ms.) No.190 dated 2 September 2008, approved the Draft Second Master Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area 2026 with modifications. The plan submitted by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority comprised three volumes, Visions, Strategies and Action Plans, Development Regulations, and Sectoral Background, together with maps.

Before approval, objections and suggestions were examined through public consultations at 14 places in the Chennai Metropolitan Area. A workshop was also conducted, and seven sector based committees examined the issues.

Who may be affected

G.O. (Ms.) No.190 may affect owners, buyers and developers dealing with land or buildings in the Chennai Metropolitan Area. Its provisions cover schools, industrial training institutes, special buildings, group developments, multi-storeyed buildings, hospitals, commercial buildings and specified village lands.

Key modifications

The Housing and Urban Development (UD I) Department approved the following changes:

• Schools up to higher secondary level and industrial training institutes in areas other than Continuous Building Areas must have a minimum road width of 7.2 metres.
• Maximum plot coverage prescriptions for special buildings and group developments were deleted.
• Minimum plot width or frontage for group developments was reduced to 12 metres in other areas within the Chennai Metropolitan Area and 10 metres in residential Economically Weaker Sections areas.
• Sewage treatment plants in unsewered areas are required where dwelling units exceed 50 or commercial area exceeds 2,500 square metres.
• Higher Floor Space Index for commercial multi-storeyed buildings in special areas was deleted. The maximum Floor Space Index for specified Category II and Category III plot coverage bands was corrected to 2.50, 2.25 and 2.00.
• The proposed rail link between Vandalur Railway Station and the Outer Ring Road shown in the Vandalur Village map was deleted.
• Hospital buildings receive an additional Floor Space Index of 0.25 above the normally permissible Floor Space Index.
• Specified lands in Vellanur, Sirukalathur, Nedunkundram, Vengambakkam, Solinganallur Panchayat, Sithalapakkam, Pallikaranai, Poonthandalam, Palanthadalam, Kavanur and Nandambakkam were classified as Primary Residential use zone, subject to the stated exclusions.

Building height

G.O. (Ms.) No.190 permits multi-storeyed buildings up to 60 metres where the abutting road is at least 18 metres wide. Heights exceeding 60 metres require an abutting road of at least 30.5 metres and are subject to necessary conditions. Development charge is double the normally leviable rate for the part of a building exceeding 1.5 times the width of the abutting road.