Lahore, the capital of Punjab, has seen tremendous growth over the past decade not only in its population, but also in terms of housing opportunities to meet the city’s ever-growing needs. The problem is that most of the urbanization in Lahore has been done horizontally, which has not helped much in dealing with the constantly changing demographics of the metropolis. With the new laws set by the LDA to allow high rises in residential areas of Lahore, we expect to see more apartments in Punjab’s capital city in the near future.
Get To Know Everything About LDA’s Laws To Promote High Rises In Residential Areas Of Lahore
As per the Lahore Development Authority’s new regulations, apartments are now allowed in many specific areas of approved public and private sector residential schemes. LDA’s new regulations are aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of vertical cities. The PM of Pakistan had banned real estate development on Punjab’s fertile land earlier this year. This triggered the idea to expand vertically to provide adequate housing and not to usurp the fertile agricultural land.
What if you own a 10 marla plot? Can you still construct a multi-story building in Lahore?
The answer is YES! You can now easily construct more floors on a smaller piece of land, thanks to LDA’s new laws. Earlier, only a 4 kanal plot owner could build an apartment.
Anyone who owned a 10 marla plot and less than 1 kanal plot was not permitted to take the height of the building beyond 36 feet. But now, the 10 marla plot owners can quite easily construct a residential building in Lahore that is 48 feet high which means a ground floor plus 3 floors can be built.
In the given space, i.e. for a 10 marla plot, the owner is also given permission to have a shop on the ground floor, measuring 400 feet. This will benefit people living in apartments to buy stuff they need right from the shop present within the building’s premises.
There’s more relaxation for 1 kanal plot owners. Previously, people were allowed to go maximum 60 feet high. But now with the new LDA laws that allow construction of high rise buildings in Lahore, a 1 kanal plot owner can build an apartment having ground plus 6 floors. They can take the height to 90 feet and they are also allowed to have two shops on the ground floor.
What do LDA’s new regulations to allow high rise apartments in Lahore mean?
The new regulations allow many opportunities to plot owners to build a skyscraper on a smaller piece of land.
- For a 2 kanal and less than 4 kanal plot, an apartment or a high rise measuring 120 feet is allowed. This means the owner of a 2 kanal plot can construct ground plus nine floors.
- Plots measuring 4 kanal are also allowed to construct a building which can be 200 feet high. The owner of a 4 kanal plot can easily construct ground plus 14 floors and service floors.
- The owners of larger plots than that of 8 kanal but somewhat less than 12 kanal can now utilize their land in building a high rise in Lahore. They can now build an apartment that can reach 300 feet high.
- In case you are seeking approval to build a skyscraper in Lahore which is over 300 feet high on a 12 kanal area then you will have to seek a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
- As per LDA’s new laws to promote high rises in residential areas of Lahore, construction can be done on roads that are 30 feet to 80 feet wide. Buildings have also been categorized into 4 categories: low, medium, high rises and skyscrapers.
How would vertical expansion in Lahore benefit the people?
Urban planners across the world usually face this daunting problem to provide enough land for affordable housing. Where and how should cities house the rapidly expanding migrants from other cities and the growing population. Town planners are now considering vertical expansion as the solution.
In a populated city, like Lahore, this means that there will be more space left on the ground. This will allow more green spaces, parks and recreational avenues, where people can easily walk in. Moreover, if each building has a commercial shop on the ground floor, people can shop for day-to-day grocery items and would not have to commute through cars to far off places for daily necessities of life. This will cut down on travel costs, limit vehicle use for small purchases and create a better environment through more green spaces in the area.
Moreover, in cities that have high rises, people share the same building and have a better support system than those who live in a bungalow. There is shared power backup system, safety equipment like fire-fighting, community hall for events, convenience stores and also shared security staff.
What facilities will be provided in high rise buildings?
As per LDA’s Zoning regulations draft, the latest regulations will ensure building owners provide residents solar-generated energy, so that people do not have to depend on generators in case of power shortage. Owners will also be encouraged to invest in rain water harvesting and plantation.
Residents who live in high rises often fear that the building might fall in the event of a natural disaster like an earthquake or it might catch fire. Owing to these concerns the government will ensure that proper firefighting equipment is also there in the building and should be well-equipped to face any mishap. There will be water storage facilities in the multi-story structures. To avoid overcrowding, parking in setback areas and mandatory spaces are disallowed. This will leave open spaces for pedestrians to walk and to construct more green areas.
There is compulsory provision of safety measures. In the draft of LDA’s zoning regulations, a new chapter comprising structural stability, fire safety and proper sewerage systems are mandatory in high rise buildings.
How will high rise buildings promote walkability?
Under LDA’s new laws to promote high rises in residential areas of Lahore, it has been decided that there will be a convenience store which will increase walkability as people can easily walk to the stores and shops instead of commuting through cars every time.
The culture of high rises in the city would also convert setback spaces in commercial areas into green areas along with creating proper pedestrian walkways. This will allow the general public to walk and shop as is usually done in developed urban cities, who have undergone vertical expansion.
Besides increasing the height limit for buildings, the LDA has ensured that the building plan for high-rises would get a go-ahead by the authority within 15 days.
So, this was all there was to know about the most recent update on promoting high rise residential buildings in Lahore. If you are interested in knowing more about this topic, then do read our blog on how the new LDA building regulations. For more updates subscribe to the best property portal in Pakistan. Do share your feedback with us at blog@zameen.com
