Haryana authority revises policy to set up farmhouses

Under the revised policy, builders can develop farmhouse colonies from a minimum of 10 acres up to 25 acres, depending on the location

To keep a check on illegal farmhouses sprouting over agricultural land in Haryana, and encourage sustainable development of farmhouses, the department of town and country planning (DTCP) of the Haryana government has revised the policy for planned development of low-density eco-friendly colonies, officials aware of the development said on Sunday. Officials said the revised policy will be beneficial for cities in the national capital region like Gurugram, Faridabad and Sohna, etc.

An illegal farmhouse being demolished in Gwal Pahari village in Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar/ HT)

The revised policy was approved by the cabinet on April 5. Under the revised policy, builders can develop farmhouse colonies from a minimum of 10 acres up to 25 acres, depending on the location. According to DTCP officials, the plot size of individual farmhouses in these colonies can be from 1 to 2.5 acres.

DTCP officials said the original farmhouse policy of 2014 envisaged the minimum area required for a colony to be 100 acres. According to the 2014 policy, the internal roads in the colony must be at least 12 metres wide but the new policy stipulates the width at 9m.

Rajesh Kaushik, district town planner, Gurugram, said that the objective of the new policy is to make it easier to set up eco-friendly farmhouse colonies on the outskirts of urban areas, with amenities such as solar systems, waste management, and will be built on similar infrastructure.

“It will also ensure that illegal development of farmhouses is stopped and this segment also gets properly regulated. The department is not seeking any external development charges (EDC) on these projects and this policy will give a boost as the land requirement has been reduced,” he said, adding that after the pandemic, there has been an increase in demand for large properties, and the policy is a response to allow developers to tap into this market.

The original policy also stipulated 10% EDC while the latest policy does not prescribe it and said developers will have to pay only license and scrutiny fees unless it is within 500m of the urbanisable area of a development plan of a city. This essentially means the project should be 500m from the boundary of the masterplan of a city like Gurugram.

Officials said that in the last eight years, no farmhouse project was developed under the policy despite amendments.

As per the new policy, Kaushik said that developers will have to get a license to develop these colonies and also ensure that these are equipped with sewage treatment, solar, and compost plants to process biodegradable waste locally.

As per the new policy, the minimum area required to establish such colonies is 25 acres in high-potential zones, 15 acres in medium-potential zones, and 10 acres in low-potential zones.

The policy also stipulated that a low-density eco-friendly colony can also be developed as a gated community but it must have a 6 feet boundary wall. The saleable area permitted will be limited to 80%, including a clubhouse of not more than 2 acres, and a commercial space of not more than 1000 sq feet. Out of the said saleable area, 4% area can be designated for agro-based non-polluting service industries, however, it will not be mandatory, the policy said.

The height of these structures should not be more than 12 metres, the policy stipulates. It further said, “No EDC shall be levied. However, 50% EDC as applicable on residential plotted colonies shall be recovered from the applicant for the part of applied land which falls within 500 metres of urbanisable limit.”

Developers said they look forward to the policy being implemented as it is on the lines of sustainable development.

“The revised policy is a good step towards planned developments and will help maintain green cover as plantation of trees and other environment-friendly norms are mandatory. This will lead to sustainable development and add to the greenery on the outskirts of the city. There is a tremendous demand and lots of enquiries,” said Navin Raheja, chairman and managing director of Raheja Developers Limited.