BMC set to reduce FSI of 8 proposed in draft DP
Under the new proposal, high FSI will be granted to areas where adequate infrastructure can be developed and it will be linked to areas that have population growth potential.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to reduce the proposed floor space index (FSI) of up to 8 in the city’s draft development plan (DP) 2014-34. The civic body’s proposal had received flak from citizens and experts as they feared FSI as high as 8 could lead to haphazard construction, putting further pressure on the city’s infrastructure. Sources told HT the civic body now plans to limit the FSI to 5 in the new draft of the DP.
Currently, the FSI allowed in the island city is 1.33 and 1 in the suburbs. FSI typically indicates how high a developer can build on a plot. It is the ratio of the total built up area to the size of the plot.
Under the new proposal, high FSI will be granted to areas where adequate infrastructure can be developed and it will be linked to areas that have population growth potential.
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“We are in the process of identifying locations that have enough space to develop additional infrastructure. While the detailed plan of finalising variable FSI distribution across the city will take some more time, 5 will be the upper limit,” said a DP department official, on the condition of anonymity.
Last year in the draft DP, the BMC had proposed FSI of up to 8, especially around railway and Metro stations, keeping in mind transit-oriented development (TOD). Globally, higher vertical development rights are granted along transit corridors and business hubs.
“The idea of providing high FSI around transit corridors was flawed in many ways, as it would make the already congested station areas more congested. People living near stations use their private vehicles and are unlikely to shift to public transport. The higher FSI should have been proposed in areas that have more scope to grow,” said a senior civic official, who did not wish to be named.