Telangana Sets 21 Metres Height Limit For High-Rises
Eases norms on building height, TDR
Hyderabad: A building could be categorised in Telangana as a high-rise if its height crosses 21 metres, compared to the previous limit of 18 metres, according to amendments brought to the Telangana Building Rules, 2012. The government has also relaxed norms for the utilisation of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) for building construction.
The 21-metre building could roughly have six floors, while the 18-metre building could typically have five floors. However, chimneys, cooling towers, boiler rooms, lift machine rooms, cold storage and other non-working areas in case of industrial buildings and water tanks and architectural features in respect of other buildings — as in the past — will not be included for determining the height of the building.
Under the new norms, the builder could submit 50 per cent of TDR at the time of grant of building permission, and the remaining TDR could be submitted before the Occupancy Certificate (OC) was issued. Earlier, the builder was supposed to submit 100 per cent TDR while applying for the building permit itself.
The builders could get a relaxation of up to 10 per cent of the permissible setbacks through TDR, while maintaining a minimum of all-around setback of seven metres. For non high-rise buildings, the setback relaxation may be permitted through the utilisation of TDR, subject to maintaining minimum setbacks as prescribed in cases of road widening.
In cases where master plan roads are modified, reduced, or deleted, the applicant will have an option of either paying applicable development or conversion charges or of submitting an equivalent TDR in lieu of such charges.
According to the new rules, the building being constructed on plots of 750 square metres to 2,000 square metres must use TDR, subject to the provision of required parking and compliance with other rules.
Up to three additional floors may be permitted in plots which are larger than 2,000 square metres, abutting 40 feet road, through TDR. Similarly, up to four additional floors in plots abutting 60 feet road and up to 5 additional floors in plots abutting 80 feet road.
In case of high-rise buildings above 10 floors and up to 20 floors, 3 per cent of the total built-up area above 10 floors will be loaded with TDR utilisation. In case of high-rise buildings above 20 floors, five per cent of the total built-up area above 20 floors will be loaded with TDR utilisation. These norms fall under the rationalisation of the utilisation of the TDR provision component.
Responding to the amendments, members of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (Credai), Hyderabad, thanked the state government and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. “These progressive reforms to the Telangana Building Rules-2012 mark a significant milestone in rationalising TDR and enhancing the ease of doing business in the real estate sector,” said B. Jagannath Rao, president-elect, Credai Hyderabad.
“Credai Hyderabad applauds the government’s responsiveness to stakeholder representations aimed at balancing urban growth with regulatory flexibility. The newly notified rules provide much- needed clarity and incentive for sustainable high-rise development across the state,” he added.
Several developers also acknowledged the role of Revanth Reddy, who holds the MA&UD portfolio, and Jayesh Ranjan, special chief secretary for metropolitan area and urban development (HMDA limits), stating that the GO introduces significant changes to TDR utilisation norms.
