New building bylaws to change urban landscape

Lucknow: The state cabinet on Thursday approved new building bylaws that allow stakeholders to create up to four times additional space on a piece of urban land than what was previously allowed.

With this, spotting skyscrapers and towering buildings in Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Kanpur, and Varanasi would be possible on the lines of metropolitan cities.

Overriding 21 different sets of rules and regulations that were framed between May 2009 and October 2024 by the housing department, the 2025 bylaws would redefine the way construction of buildings, townships, residential colonies and commercial complexes takes place to fast-pace urban development .

"We have done away with the previous bylaws and have taken steps to reenergise the real estate sector . To quote an example, as per the new bylaws, availing unrestricted floor area ratio (FAR) would be possible on a plot if it is situated next to a 45m wide road. No height restrictions would be applicable as long as the plot is not situated next to vital installations or in security, or heritage zones, or airport funnel area etc," a senior officer from the department said.

The move could change the fortunes of thousands of property owners in Lucknow and other key cities in the state.

Apart from major city roads, the same benefit would be available over plots situated along the state and national highways. As a result, individuals owning commercial or residential properties along the Lohia Path, Ring Road, Polytechnic to Munshipulia stretch, along the Lucknow-Ayodhya highway in Chinhat, at Sarojininagar and Banthara over Lucknow-Kanpur highway, and in other similar pockets would stand to gain the most.

Similarly, additional FAR would be offered at no additional cost if the building is certified as a green and sustainable project.

Business head at Omaxe Limited, Anjani Kumar Pandey, said: " UP building bylaws 2025 taken up by the cabinet on Thursday is a progressive step which would usher in an era of unprecedented development. It is also essential to balance the increased FAR with careful planning, infrastructure investment and community development."

Officials added that the provisions mentioned in the sectoral policies that have been introduced to promote industrial development (such as UP warehousing and logistics policy, IT & ITes policy, datacentre policy, tourism policy, etc.) would be applicable even if they are at variance with the 2025 bylaws. The bylaws would be enforced by 29 housing development authorities and the UP housing board under their jurisdiction.