Peshawar: Land surveys will be conducted in all the districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to formulate land use plans following the enactment of the KP Land Use and Building Control Bill, 2021, according to news published on Saturday (October 16).
It was reported that the provincial cabinet approved the bill last week and it is expected to be presented in the provincial assembly next week for approval. The details shared includes:
Provincial Land Use and Building Control Authority will be established at the provincial level
District Land Use and Planning and Management and Local Planning and Enforcement Unit Committee will be established at district levels
Provincial Land Use and Building Control Council will be set up, which will be headed by the chief minister. The council will approve policies and guidelines related to the authority’s functioning.
The function of the District Land Use and Management Committee will include:
Monthly review of No-objection Certificates (NOCs) issued by the agencies concerned for land use and development permissions
Action to undo violation, which includes reconstruction of a building, demolition, or stopping a developer from constructing a development that violates planning permission
Formulation of district land use plans or master plans
Under Section 15 (2), the bill provides determination of unplanned and existing planned areas in the survey.
Under Section 15 (3), the area will be categorised in one or more of 131 and use classes, which includes a national park, agriculture, commercial, residential, industrial, mixed land use, water bodies, vacant land, mining, and other land use types, depending on the results of the survey.
Description of district boundaries and tehsils along with topographical mapping of the area
Use geographical information systems
Coverage of water, waste disposal, and sewerage services
Description and measurement of green and open spaces and traffic flows
Identification of tourists’ and archaeological spots
Section 21 of the proposed bill is related to land use permission. Under this section, after the notification of the district land use plan or master plan, no individual or government agency can use the land for permissible uses without proper land use permission.
According to Section 22, no land development, building construction, or road remodelling will take place without temporary development permission by the planning control officer where the master plan or district land use has been notified.
Section 31 of the proposed bill empowers the authority to formulate an urban design improvement proposal, where the design of the area is termed poor or where the government directs the authority. The improvement can contain:
Redevelopment plan
Land use change plan
Changes required in ownership and development and measures taken for a smooth transition to planned development
Under Section 43, the land use inspectorate will be set up. The external body will check the level of enforcement of different provisions of the act.
As per the proposed bill, fines up to PKR 10 million and imprisonment ranging from three years if the individual undertakes land development work without approved land use or building conversion plan.
Iqra holds BS in International Relations and is passionate about writing engaging content on trending real estate topics. When not working, she is either spending time with family, shopping, or discussing shows & movies.
