LDA divides Lahore land into 10 categories

LDA introduces Land Use Rules 2020

LAHORE:

In order to encourage planned and systemic bin in the provincial capital, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has introduced LDA Land Use Rules 2020.

For the purpose of usage classification, the LDA Land Use Rules 2020 notification shows that the authority has divided the land into 10 classes, including residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, mixed-use, open space and recreational, peri-urban, special development zone, agriculture and notified area. The authority has further classified the land usage in three broad categories of permitted use, permissible use and prohibited use.

It showed that land in a residential area is only permitted for construction of house, apartment building, parking and playground, graveyard, horticulture nursery, urban farm, old age home or orphanage and urban forest. However, its permissible use includes corner or neighbourhood shop or convenience shop, place of worship, day-care centre and pre-school, rehabilitation centre for the differently-abled persons, primary and junior school, coaching centre or academy for educational purpose, secondary and higher secondary schools, dispensary, guest house, indoor sports facility, community centre or club, ATM and poly-clinic. It is also permissible to use the land for parking plaza or parking site, diplomatic enclave or diplomatic office, area development project, college and university, library, government or semi-government office and hospital.

It further highlights that permitted use of land in the commercial area includes multi-storey building, residential apartment, court or tribunal comprising of the land not less than two-kanal, mixed-use building, shopping mall, departmental store, shops or group of shops.

In addition, permissible use of land in the commercial area includes technical and vocational institution, cinema or cineplex or multiplex, theatre, auditorium, concert hall or exhibition hall or cultural institution

Similarly, land in an industrial area is permitted to be used for cottage, light and medium industry, heavy or large industry, warehouse, storage or distribution centre; building material store; cold storage and ice factory, petrochemicals, petroleum and gas products storage or warehouse, loading and unloading space, parking lot, industrial park or estate, police station, fire station and post office; bank or ATM; industrial research institute; treatment or recycling plant; grid station; power plant; vocational training institute; and urban forest area. Permissible use for industrial area’s land includes petrol pump, gas station, LPG or LNG storage or filling station; essential residential, commercial, health and educational facility for workers or employees, oil depot, restaurant; hospital; auto workshop, service garage and service station; and incineration plant. The authority has barred use of land in declared industrial area for storing, packing, pursing, cleaning, preparing, and manufacturing of blasting powder, ammunition, fireworks, gun powder, sulphur, mercury, gases, nitro-compounds, phosphorous, dynamite, explosives, bombs or any other obnoxious or hazardous material.

To promote new rules the authority recently conducted a seminar for the stakeholders for suggestions, input and objection from the general public regarding Land Use Regulations formulated under the recently notified Land Use Rules 2020. The event was attended by people from different walks of life including town planners, housing scheme developers, businessmen, architects, lawyers and journalists. During the seminar, the general public gave their suggestions on the draft of Land Use Regulations.

Addressing the seminar, LDA Chief Town Planner Tariq Mahmood assured the participants that their suggestions, concerns and objections shall be duly deliberated upon and presented before the governing body of the authority. He expressed the determination and resolve of LDA to implement the commercialisation policy in a planned and systematic manner with the inclusion of stakeholders’ suggestions so that commercial needs of the public may be addressed without creating a burden on the infrastructure.

The LDA DG had already instructed officials to give due consideration to the opinion and suggestions of the stakeholders so that new opportunities for business and job vacancies could be created.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2020.