Builders consider access most important when choosing a property for development. The value of the piece of land rides much on this factor.

The revised Kerala Municipal Building Rules, brought about by the Local Self-Government Department, as in earlier versions, hold that smaller roads can have only fewer people living on either side, though the restrictions have been relaxed to some extent.

The access width has been reduced on all categories and the space of the buildings, whether small, medium or industrial, will also be a determining factor.

The road width also determines the number of dwellings on a plot. A 5-metre-wide road now allows a built-up floor area of 4,000-8,000 square metres and 31 to 60 dwellings and a 3.6-metre-road, 1,000-4,000 sq.m with nine to 30 dwellings.

For 1,000-4,000-sq.m buildings with a 5-metre road, only three storeys will be allowed. To build four storeys, the road should be at least 6 metres wide and the built-up area 4,000-8,000 sq.m.Many in the construction sector does not view these rules as progressive.

The new set of changes in the Kerala Municipal Building Amendment Rules, 2010 is nothing but an agenda to retard development of the State in housing and construction, says Lalichan Zacharias, chairman, Kerala chapter, Indian Institute of Architects. The main issue regarding the changes brought about in 2009 had been with regard to the required road width for access to buildings, whether residential or commercial.

The latest amendments have done nothing much but contradict the earlier rules, Mr. Zacharias says. The required width of the access road for any high-rise building is said to be 7 metres if residential and 8 metres if commercial. And a high-rise building has been defined as one with more than four floors ground plus three.

In formulating this rule, the extent of land has been ignored, he says. Hence, on a plot of five-10 acres or 25 cents with an access road of 5 metres, the built-up area should be less than 8,000 sq.m. The aim of such a rule can be nothing but anti-development, he says. Road width along with plot size had been considered for fixing the Floor Area Ratio FAR earlier, while the new amendment does not consider FAR or plot size.

As much of the developable land is in suburban and rural areas, where it is difficult to come across a road with width over 5 metres, the government agenda on development is rather clear, he says. Only roads under the Public Works Department have a width of about 7 metres or above and these are very few. Only those who have acquired land on the sides of roads with widths above 7 metres will be able to build high rise buildings, he says. The size of the plot does not play a role. It is the built-up area that matters.

Hence, a private school that has an access road of 5 metres width cannot build any extra classroom or even toilets. However, government schools will be able to do so with special sanction, he says.

The government could always reduce FAR for a smaller plot, but now such considerations are overruled, says Mathen Chakola, member of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India.

Parking

The latest amendments have only brought clarity to the requirement of parking space and lifts in a building. Decentralisation of power has taken a hit as the Chief Town Planner office will become more involved in providing various sanctions, which can be done at the district level, Mr. Chakola says.

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