LDA bylaws for housing schemes part I: Preliminary Planning Permission

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has laid out specific regulations in its LDA Private Housing Schemes (PHS) Rules 2014, which deals with various building regulations in Lahore. In this blog, we’ll be highlighting the provisions which you need to ensure before buying or investing in a housing scheme.

As per LDA, there are four kinds of housing schemes:

1. Private housing schemes that have an area greater or equal to 100 kanals. This also includes cooperative housing schemes.
2. Farm housing schemes.
3. Housing schemes with land subdivision having an area less than 100 kanals
4. Housing schemes with land subdivision having an area less than 40 kanals

The approval of a housing scheme is a stage-wise process, with each stage requiring a certain amount of time. It is only after these stages that the entire process of  developing the housing scheme is started.

For a sponsor of a housing society, it is imperative to file an application for Preliminary Planning Permission. For a housing scheme with land subdivision having an area less than 40 kanals, this stage isn’t mandatory.

An Application for Preliminary Planning Permission requires the following documents:

1. A certified copy of the National Identity Card of the sponsor
2. Complete mailing address, including email address of the sponsor

• Copy of last paid utility bill for the property mentioned in the last mailing address

1. Certified copy of the certificate of registration of the company or the cooperative society
2. Location plan of proposed scheme signed by a town planner
3. Proof of ownership status of the land; whether it is self-owned or private land not owned by the sponsor

• Financial statement of the developer if the land is not owned by the sponsor; bank statement and details of self-owned assets.
• In case land isn’t self-owned, then a financial statement indicating that funds are available or secured is needed.

1. Soil investigation report by a proper consultant
2. Khasra plan showing the boundary, satellite imagery of the site, and location of the site
3. Receipt of the deposit of Preliminary Planning Premise

After all of these documents are submitted, then LDA proceeds with the evaluation criteria.

Evaluation Criteria

LDA then moves forward and examines the site proposed for the housing scheme, and evaluates if it fulfils the following requirements:

1. It falls on an adequate access road
2. It is not prone to flooding

• It is not notified by the government for acquisition for any other public purpose

1. The housing scheme proposal is in conformity with the approved master plan or outline development plan

For a housing scheme with land subdivision, additional concerns are:

1. Is the land locked owing to the following:
2. Surrounded by an existing built-up area or an approved housing scheme
3. Separated from the built-up area by physical barriers
4. The sponsor has to ensure that s/he doesn’t own additional land in continuation of the land proposed for subdivision

When the evaluation is done, the processing of the Preliminary Planning Permission begins, which then prepares the housing scheme for submission and further vetting.

Processing

1. Director Metropolitan Planning then forwards the case to the Water and Sanitation Agency. This is to be done within the next 7 days, when the application for the Preliminary Planning Permission has been planned
2. Water and Sanitation Agency or other concerned department or Agency then issues a No Objection Certificate, or communicates their observations to the Director Metropolitan Planning. This is done within the next 10 days.

• After scrutinising the case thoroughly, the Director Metropolitan Planning then submits it to the Chief Metropolitan Planner, who then submits the case to the Director General for approval and permission to proceed towards the planning of a housing scheme. This process is to be done within the next 7 days.

1. Director Metropolitan Planning then issues their observations and/or issues a planning permission. This process takes another 7 days.

The Director Metropolitan Planning then conveys the permission to the sponsor within 7 days. This is valid for the next six months, and doesn’t authorise the sponsor to start construction or undertake marketing of plots, or publicity of the housing scheme in any manner. The sponsor can proceed with submitting the housing scheme for approval.

The submission, construction, layout, and levying of standards will be further discussed in our next blog in this series. Follow this series to get a better understanding of whether the housing society you’re choosing for investing or buying in, has undergone all these obligations. And if you’re interested in making a housing scheme, then these blogs are a must-read for you.

Find out about LDA’s bylaws regarding the construction of apartment buildings and farmhouses here. For any queries or feedback on this blog, comment below.