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New building byelaws in Lucknow, JPNIC revival on the cards
LDA plans to discuss new building byelaws, JPNIC project bidding, and residential layout changes in August, aiming to boost housing and safety audits.
Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is likely to put up three major proposals—adoption of new building byelaws, approval of a bidding for the operationalisation of Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) and changes in residential layout provisions—for discussion in the upcoming board meeting expected to be held in the first week of August, officials said.
Two of the proposals have even received approval from the state government, a LDA official said.
Taller buildings, high-rise audits
The proposed byelaws significantly ease height and density restrictions. The changes allow a higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR), enabling developers to build taller and denser buildings.
“These reforms are expected to increase housing supply, stabilise property prices, and improve urban affordability,” said a senior LDA official.
To ensure safety, LDA will begin mandatory structural audits of all high-rise buildings, both government and private, especially those over 10 years old, the official said.
“We have identified ageing buildings like Vikasdeep and Brahmkunj for priority inspection. The process will be carried out by empanelled structural audit agencies,” the official added.
JPNIC bidding
LDA will also place the proposal to initiate bidding for the stalled JPNIC project. On July 3, LDA was given charge of the 20-acre complex and directed to operationalise the centre through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
“The bidding plan is ready and will be presented at the board meeting. Once approved, we’ll float tenders,” the official confirmed.
Sanctioned in 2013 with a budget of ₹864 crore, JPNIC has remained non-functional since 2017. LDA will recover the construction cost of ₹821.74 crore over 30 years, as was stated in an earlier HT report.
The third proposal involves amending the layout provisions of various residential colonies to align with the updated norms under the new byelaws. These revisions aim to streamline land use and future development planning.
