Advertising hoardings to be allowed on residential buildings

Mumbai: Be prepared to see more defacement in the city as advertisements will now be allowed on the compound walls of residential buildings

Mumbai: Be prepared to see more defacement in the city as advertisements will now be allowed on the compound walls of residential buildings.

Mumbai, India - May 1, 2019: A view of Adv Hoarding at Pedder Road Junction, in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, May 1, 2019. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT) (HT PHOTO)

If the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s new modifications in the existing hoarding policy of 2008 is anything to go by, permissions will now be granted for advertisements on compound wall of residential premises, besides other new policy changes on revenue sharing of advertisements where multiple agencies are involved.

Both the prevailing policy guidelines of 2008 on grant of permission for display of sky signs and display of advertisements and the new policy guidelines-2022 published by the state government, did not have provision to allow advertisements on compound walls of residential premises.

Sanjog Kabre, deputy municipal commissioner (special), confirmed that the modifications to the existing hoarding policy were made last month and was cleared on December 2, 2022.

When asked why compound walls of buildings are allowed to display advertisements, Kabre said, “This is as per government of Maharashtra’s guidelines 2022. It can be only allowed if building owner/ society permits. Buildings can take monthly charges from advertisers similar to that of hoardings.”

The copy of the amended circular signed by Prakash Jadhav, superintendent of licences, has come into effect from this year. Jadhav said, “The advertiser will display ads only where there is a potential for visibility from compound walls of buildings on arterial roads and not in gullies and inside lanes.”

As per BMC’s new circular on the amended hoarding policy permissions, advertisements on compound wall of residential premises will be allowed up to a maximum height of 10feet and width 40feet.

The circular further states, “The advertisement or hoarding structure above in line with the compound wall shall be permitted provided the support structure is erected on the ground and affixed to the compound wall. Permission for only one advertisement structure in residential premises shall be permitted. The minimum height of the advertisement media from the ground below shall be 10 feet.”

The amended policy circular states that permission will be subject to submission of no objection certificate (NOC) from land owning authority/ residential society or federation and structural stability of the compound wall, as well as of the advertisement structure will be required to be submitted. The license fee will be as per schedule of fees.

The drone floating vessels on waterbodies such as sea will also be allowed. The advertisements will not be permitted on bicycles, tricycles, cantilevers and gantry. Also, earlier there was no provision for commercial advertisements on business premises, but now commercial advertisements on business premises not related to trade, profession or services rendered in the same premises shall be permitted.

The hoarding shall not be permitted above the height of 120 feet from the ground. The hoardings or sky signs on terraces and roofs are subject to modified circular of 2014, wherein on terraces with 60x20 feet and on roads more than 90feet, hoarding of 40x40feet will be permitted.

The BMC will also allow new out of home (OOH) advertisement on the embankment of the wall, pillars, below the flyover bridges, foot over bridges and skywalk wherein structural stability certificate will have to be produced by various landowning agencies such as MMRDA or MSRDC, PWD or BMC.

Upon expiry of tender, no new tender can be floated by landowners without prior permission from BMC and permissions will be revoked for violating hoarding policy guidelines.

“Other than this advertisement by means of kiosks shall be allowed on electric pole at the height of 14feet from the ground below it and no new permission for cantilevers shall be permitted,” said a civic official from BMCs licence department.

For operation and maintenance of public utilities, the assistant commissioners of wards will consider proposal from banks, financial institutions, real estate developments or any commercial establishments in consultation with license department. The advertiser will be allowed to display advertisements in exchange of operation and maintenance of public utilities and the advertising rights will be granted through a tender auction process.

In case of roads developed by MMRDA or MSRDC or any semi-government authority, which isn’t handed over to BMC, then revenue sharing will be 50% by floating tender for awarding display rights with the BMC. If the road is handed over 100% then revenue sharing will be 100% where in advertising agency will pay revenue and advertising fee to the BMC.

The above-mentioned revenue sharing is exclusive of the corresponding license fee as per the schedule of fees amended from time to time with applicable taxes to the BMC. Also, the guidelines and procedure for hoardings will be applicable to commercial advertisements in an open space of business premises.