<div align="justify">With the government set to change municipal rules, building a house with more than one floor could soon cost you more than ever before. <br /><br />The state government proposes a ‘premium’ floor area ratio (FAR), which citizens will have to buy to construct additional floors on their plots (over and above the permissible FAR).<br /><br />The draft Common Zoning Rules, published recently by the urban development department, when implemented, will result in a reduction in the existing permissible FAR.<br /><br />Those who want additional built-up area will have to buy premium FAR, the fee for which is fixed on the basis of the guidance value of the plot. Permitted FAR carries no fee. <br /><br />FAR is the ratio of the total plot area to the total building area, and is determined by the size of the plot and width of the road in front of the plot.<br /><br />A government notification dated July 1 seeks to replace the existing rules with a new set, covering all urban planning authorities in the state, such as the Bangalore Development Authority, Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority and the Mysuru Urban Development Authority.<br /><br />The premium FAR system will apply only to city corporations in the state.<br /><br />According to L Shashikumar, director of town planning, the proposal is aimed at helping urban local bodies such as the BBMP to earn revenue and take up road-widening.<br /><br />The government proposes to make it mandatory for all urban local bodies to use revenue earned through the sale of premium FAR to widen roads.<div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Currently, only Mangaluru City Corporation is selling premium FAR in its limits. According to the existing Bengaluru master plan, the maximum permissible FAR is 3.25. <br /><br />A FAR of 4 is permitted within a 150-metre radius of Namma Metro stations. <br /><br />The government proposes FAR of up to 4 – in the ratio of 2 (permissible FAR):2 (premium FAR) in all city corporations.<br /><br />All plots of more than 4,000 sq m (43,000 sq ft) and facing a road 24 metres wide will be eligible to use it.<br /><br />Shashikumar said premium FAR was proposed for all plots, irrespective of size, and norms pertaining to the width of roads for utilising FAR have been relaxed.<br /><br />Under the proposed system, a plot measuring 1,200 sq ft in Bengaluru can have a built-up area of 1,800 sq ft (at permissible FAR of 1.5, if the road width is 7.5 metres).<br /><br />The plot is eligible for a premium FAR of 1.0. In other words, an additional 1,200 sq ft area can be built with the purchase of premium FAR. <br /><br />If the guidance value of the plot is, say, Rs 3,000 per sq ft, the fee for premium FAR is Rs 1,000 per sq ft. This is based on a formula, and adds up to Rs 12 lakh.<br /><br />According to the existing Bengaluru master plan, a 1,200 sq ft plot facing a road of up to 12 metres in width gets a permissible FAR of 1.75 (which translates to 2,098 sq ft of built-up area). <br /></div></div>
<div align="justify">With the government set to change municipal rules, building a house with more than one floor could soon cost you more than ever before. <br /><br />The state government proposes a ‘premium’ floor area ratio (FAR), which citizens will have to buy to construct additional floors on their plots (over and above the permissible FAR).<br /><br />The draft Common Zoning Rules, published recently by the urban development department, when implemented, will result in a reduction in the existing permissible FAR.<br /><br />Those who want additional built-up area will have to buy premium FAR, the fee for which is fixed on the basis of the guidance value of the plot. Permitted FAR carries no fee. <br /><br />FAR is the ratio of the total plot area to the total building area, and is determined by the size of the plot and width of the road in front of the plot.<br /><br />A government notification dated July 1 seeks to replace the existing rules with a new set, covering all urban planning authorities in the state, such as the Bangalore Development Authority, Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority and the Mysuru Urban Development Authority.<br /><br />The premium FAR system will apply only to city corporations in the state.<br /><br />According to L Shashikumar, director of town planning, the proposal is aimed at helping urban local bodies such as the BBMP to earn revenue and take up road-widening.<br /><br />The government proposes to make it mandatory for all urban local bodies to use revenue earned through the sale of premium FAR to widen roads.<div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Currently, only Mangaluru City Corporation is selling premium FAR in its limits. According to the existing Bengaluru master plan, the maximum permissible FAR is 3.25. <br /><br />A FAR of 4 is permitted within a 150-metre radius of Namma Metro stations. <br /><br />The government proposes FAR of up to 4 – in the ratio of 2 (permissible FAR):2 (premium FAR) in all city corporations.<br /><br />All plots of more than 4,000 sq m (43,000 sq ft) and facing a road 24 metres wide will be eligible to use it.<br /><br />Shashikumar said premium FAR was proposed for all plots, irrespective of size, and norms pertaining to the width of roads for utilising FAR have been relaxed.<br /><br />Under the proposed system, a plot measuring 1,200 sq ft in Bengaluru can have a built-up area of 1,800 sq ft (at permissible FAR of 1.5, if the road width is 7.5 metres).<br /><br />The plot is eligible for a premium FAR of 1.0. In other words, an additional 1,200 sq ft area can be built with the purchase of premium FAR. <br /><br />If the guidance value of the plot is, say, Rs 3,000 per sq ft, the fee for premium FAR is Rs 1,000 per sq ft. This is based on a formula, and adds up to Rs 12 lakh.<br /><br />According to the existing Bengaluru master plan, a 1,200 sq ft plot facing a road of up to 12 metres in width gets a permissible FAR of 1.75 (which translates to 2,098 sq ft of built-up area). <br /></div></div>
