The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to introduce uniform building bylaws for all industrial development bodies, including Noida, Greater Noida, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) and Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA), officials said.
The government aims to simplify construction norms to reduce hurdles for investors and businessmen, which it expects will help attract more investments. A state-level committee reviewed a draft on September 1 proposing major changes in land use and building rules.
Currently, industries can build on 35 to 60 percent of a plot, and housing projects on 35 to 40 percent. The draft removes these limits. After leaving space for setbacks and parking, the rest of the plot can be used for buildings. Housing board projects (Awas Vikas) already follow this system. Authorities have been asked to prepare reports on the draft and submit them to Invest UP for further discussions.
Officials said the three authorities in Gautam Budh Nagar district are already working on it. The Noida, Greater Noida and YEIDA discussed the draft in a meeting on September 6 in Greater Noida. “The officials of three industrial bodies discussed the rules in a recent meeting held in Greater Noida,” said Lokesh M, chief executive officer of the Noida authority. A follow-up meeting on the subject is expected on Thursday.
The draft also proposes changes in floor area ratio (FAR). At present, industries in Uttar Pradesh are restricted to FAR between 0.6 and 2, group housing is allowed 2.75 to 3.5, institutional projects 0.8 to 2.75 and commercial projects 1.2 to 4. Under the new norms, FAR will increase across categories: industries will be permitted 2.5 to 3, group housing fixed at 3.5, institutional projects 1.2 to 3 and commercial projects 1.5 to 4. Awas Vikas already follows similar ranges.
Setback rules will be relaxed. Industrial plots that currently require a 16-metre setback will instead be limited to 3 to 9 metres, closer to housing board rules. This will free up more usable land. Parking requirements, which developers term excessive, will also be reduced. Earlier, commercial projects needed one slot for every 30 to 100 square metres of space. The draft proposes one slot for every 50 to 500 square metres, depending on project size. Housing will need 1 to 1.5 slots per unit, while industries will need one slot for every 300 square metres.
Landscaping requirements will also be eased. Presently, 25 to 50 percent of a plot must be kept for greenery. The new rules reduce this to 5 to 10 percent, with greenery ensured at layout level through tree planting. Height restrictions of 10 to 24 metres will also be removed. Only aviation safety and heritage rules will apply.
Officials said the reforms aim to bring all nine industrial authorities under one framework. A comparative study of Telangana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Singapore and Hong Kong found Uttar Pradesh’s rules, last updated in 2010, were outdated. In July, the state had approved similar norms for urban development authorities and the housing board, but these did not apply to industrial authorities governed under a separate law.