CDA revises extra charges for enhanced covered area

Decides to revise the premium rates for Mauve Area plots to Rs42,358 per sq yd

ISLAMABAD: To regulate the immense variation in the rates and charges for additional covered areas for institutional plots in Mauve area of Sector H, the apex decision-making body of the civic authority on Thursday decided to amend the zoning regulations for these plots.

The board of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) reviewed charges for additional covered area and floor area ratio (FAR) in Mauve Area plots and Institutional plots of H-Series.

Meeting for a second consecutive day, the board took up agenda items left over from Wednesday.

They deliberated over a summary put forward by CDA’s urban planning directorate, which argued that in light of zoning regulations 2005, previous lessees of vacant institutional plots in Mauve Area could either avail FAR 1:1.75 (for six-storey buildings) or new FAR 1:3 (for 10-storey building) after paying some additional charges. But the calculation for these additional charges — based on the size of the plots —was confusing and was creating complications.

The CDA board agreed that they may allow previous lessees of these plots to avail FAR between 1:1.75 to 1:3 by paying the additional charges for the covered area while adhering to mandatory requirements of creating parking space in plots up to 3,333.33 square yards.

These lessees can then seek permission to build structures with a basement, a ground floor, and up to three storeys.

For plots measuring greater than 3,333.33 square yards, lessees can build structures with two basements, a ground floor and up to nine storeys.

Hence, they agreed to revise the premium rates for mauve area plots of Rs42,358 per square yard as notified by finance wing in 2014.

According to Islamabad’s master plan, a strip of land of increasing depth was earmarked to the south of Sector G, starting from Sector G-6 and up to the north of Kashmir Highway.

The area was to serve as a light industrial zone with small factories and workshops.

However, in the early 1970s, this land was split into two. The area to the north of Kashmir Highway was reserved for ‘attached departments’ while the area further north was set aside as industrial and trading (I&T) centres.

Subsequently, the land earmarked for attached departments was named as Mauve area (primarily due to the colouring of the block on the master plan). Many office buildings, complexes of government, semi-government and autonomous bodies and a few of national councils, foundations and private companies were built in this area.

The CDA secretariat is also located in the mauve area of Sector G-7/4. Until September 2015, the major provisions of zoning regulations in respect of buildings in Mauve area were as: approximate plots site 1,555.55 square yards and 3,111.11 square yards and multistory buildings with a maximum height of 80 feet.

However, in view of the growing demand for land, the CDA board in September 2005 decided to revise the zoning regulations for vacant institutional plots in the mauve area of Sector H to allow for greater vertical development.

CDA subsequently relaxed zoning regulation and allowed buildings to have two basements and up to nine storeys with a maximum permissible height of 128 feet.

Based on this decision, CDA finance wing in 2007 determined the premium rates for plots in the mauve area with enhancing FAR and a 10 storey building as Rs9,600 per square yard.

In May 2014, this rate was further revised and subsequently notified in July 2014. The revised rates stipulated that for structures with four storeys, an additional charge of Rs14,551 per square yard would be charged while Rs42,358 per square yard would be charged for larger structures.

After this decision, the previous lessees of vacant institutional plots in H-series could either avail FAR 1:1.75 (six-storey building) or new FAR 1:3 (10-storey building) on payment of additional charges.

However, in March 2017, the CDA’s finance wing, with approval from the board notified new rates for the additional covered area and FAR for institutional plots, revising them to Rs5,286 per square yard.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2018.