CDA likely to hire consultant for preparing master plan

In the absence of a developed business district, people have set up offices in residential areas

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is intending to hire services of a consultant for preparation of master plan for Blue Area from F-8 to F-11 series in first phase once for all.

The delay in development of Blue Area is considered as one of the main reasons behind shortage of office structure meant for commercial purpose and commercial use of buildings in residential sectors besides high rents in federal capital. The CDA sources said that residential sectors have been developed up to F-11, whereas Blue Area was still limited to F-7.

In a meeting with investors a week before commercial plots auction on March 26, the CDA authorities had agreed with demands of preparation of a final master plan for Blue Area.

“The investors had submitted three demands and CDA agreed to all including preparation of master plan for Blue Area once and for all instead of making plans in piecemeal,” The CDA Director Urban Planning Shaikh Ejaz told The Express Tribune. He said that other two demands of investors were about allocation of 10 per cent auction proceeds for development of the area where plots were auctioned and construction of five planned parking plazas in Blue Area.

Shaikh said that preparation of whole design was the first step for development of any sector while preparation of engineering design and development works are second and third steps done subsequently.

“We will prepare master plan to the extent of planning phase,” Shaikh said adding that all three demands of investors were legitimate which were being taken by CDA seriously. He said in future after preparation of master plan CDA will select the plots for auctions.

Currently CDA sells plots in Blue Area, between 7th Avenue and 9th Avenue and planning and designing is being carried out for individual plots instead of adopting a holistic approach for development of Blue Area.

The Blue Area is the commercial and business hub of Islamabad and it is called the "Blue Area" because it was represented in blue colour in the original master plan of the federal capital. The area is actually a corridor that runs along Jinnah Avenue, Islamabad's primary arterial road, which leads up to the main government buildings. The Metro Bus Service has also been constructed in the middle of Jinnah Avenue. Blue Area is characterized by clean, wide roads and tall buildings among the panoramic greenery of the adjacent areas. It is limited by Nazim-ud-din Road to the northwest and Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq (AK Fazl-ul-Haq Road) to the southeast and Ibn-e-Sina road to the south west.

During first day of the commercial plots’ auction the investors had expressed their grievances in respect of failure of authority in provision of infrastructure to plots previously auctioned in Blue Area. However, the Director Urban Planning (UP) had assured them that authority was going to advertise for hiring services of a consultant to prepare proper planning and designing in Blue Area.

Blue Area stretches straight from 7th to 9th Avenues between G and F series however, from 10th Avenue it turns towards North and then stretches between E and F series up to GT Road. In E-10 and F-11 peoples have established illegal marquees as CDA did not make any development plan and design in this portion.

The Blue Area has recently received a significant amount of Foreign Direct Investment including construction of The Centaurus Mall, a multi-purpose complex in the Blue Area which has residential and office towers, and a luxury hotel. Many other high rise buildings are located in Blue Area including Suadi-Pak Towers, Islamabad Stock Exchange (ISE), OGDCL Building, Telecom Tower, United Bank Limited and UFone Tower.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2018.