Lahore: Under the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Building & Zoning Regulations 2019, the civic body would approve high-rise building plans within 15 days, a news source reported. LDA introduced the new regulations in order to limit the horizontal expansion of Lahore, protect agricultural land, and streamline the process of building plan approvals.
Addressing media personnel on Monday, LDA Vice Chairman (VC) Sheikh Muhammad Imran stated that they had a committee of experts to formulate the new building regulations. He added that the experts had also consulted several stakeholders and the public for this purpose.
The VC said that LDA was setting up special counters of different government agencies at the authority’s One Window Cell. He added that these special counters would work to expedite the process of building plan approvals.
The new regulations encourage construction of high-rise residential buildings even on a 10-marla plot. Meanwhile, LDA has directed all government agencies to work in close coordination to ensure the required infrastructure and utilities to support such high-rise projects.
The VC said that new regulations aim to lower the cost per square feet in order to provide affordable residences to the citizens of Lahore. He added that the new rules also encourage pedestrians and walkability by implementing the concept of convenience stores. He said that LDA would achieve this by converting the setback spaces in commercial areas into green areas and pedestrian paths.
LDA has made provisions like rainwater harvesting, plantation of trees, and rooftop gardening mandatory for high-rise apartment buildings to cope with water scarcity and environmental crises.
LDA will also open counters of relevant departments and introduce an online submission and tracking system to facilitate ease of doing business. New regulations also make fire safety, water supply sewerage drawings, and structural stability a must for high-rises.
For complete details, LDA has uploaded the draft of Land-use Rules 2019 on its official website.
