Govt. proposes raising height of high-rise buildings from 15 to 21 metres in Bengaluru

The Karnataka authorities has projected raising the tallness threshold for high-rise buildings successful Bengaluru from 15 metres to 21 metres, a determination that volition alteration however buildings are classified nether the city’s readying regulations. The connection forms portion of a wider acceptable of amendments to the zoning regulations of the Revised Master Plan-2015.

Further, the amendments suggest permitting high-rise buildings connected roads having a minimum width of 12 metres and supra and the level tallness of buildings to 4.5 metres, up from the earlier bounds of 3.5 metres. To accommodate this change, the Urban Development Department (UDD) has besides accrued the tallness threshold for high-rise buildings to 21 metres from 15 metres successful the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) area, sources said. 

K.R. Ramesh, a spot advisor and a developer, explained that builders and idiosyncratic spot owners tin present conception floors with greater heights without the fearfulness of exceeding high-rise limits. “Higher floors mean overmuch much abstraction for ventilation and besides enactment good successful preventing vigor buildup wrong houses,” helium said. 

Greater densification

V. Ravichandar, a subordinate of the Brand Bengaluru Committee, said the projected revision appears to awesome the government’s intent to promote “greater densification” successful Bengaluru, peculiarly on wide transit corridors specified arsenic the metro, wherever higher colonisation density tin amended nationalist transport usage and viability.

“If the bounds for the explanation of a high-rise goes higher, it allows much radical to conception taller buildings without falling nether the existent high-rise category,” helium said, adding that the determination could facilitate denser improvement wrong the city. Mr. Ravichandar pointed retired that Bengaluru’s maturation has traditionally been marked by municipality sprawl, with improvement dispersed crossed a immense country done layouts and comparatively low-rise structures, helium said, arguing that encouraging denser improvement could assistance the metropolis marque amended usage of onshore and infrastructure.

He said the benefits would beryllium peculiarly disposable on the metro corridors. “These are high-density corridors that tin transportation ample numbers of people. If much radical unrecorded on these corridors, the metro becomes much effectual and operationally viable,” helium said. Higher residential density astir stations would besides mean much radical tin locomotion to nationalist transport alternatively of depending connected backstage vehicles. 

Safety oversight

Another expert, however, argued that reducing the fig of buildings classified arsenic high-rises could weaken information oversight arsenic high-rise buildings are taxable to much stringent norms relating to occurrence safety, exigency evacuation and structural requirements.

Notably, the Karnataka Fire Force (Amendment) Act, 2023, already defines a “high-rise” gathering arsenic 1 measuring 21 metres oregon much successful tallness and mandates a No Objection Certification from the Fire and Emergency Services Department for specified structures.