A new gazette notification has relaxed several building restrictions under the City Kochi Structure Plan, opening wider development possibilities in Kalamassery and neighbouring municipalities and panchayats across the Kochi urban region. The changes primarily affect zoning regulations and cover areas including Kalamassery, Aluva? No, the notification covers Kalamassery, Eloor, Thrikkakara, Thrippunithura and Maradu municipalities, along with Varapuzha, Cheranalloor, Mulavukad, Njarackal and Elankunnapuzha gram panchayats.
The revised zoning provisions were prepared after considering development trends, transport networks and flood risk in the planning area. Preliminary surveys and studies based on geographic information systems were also used, according to the report. Future projects including the Kalamassery Judicial City, a logistics park and the expansion of Infopark were taken into account while preparing the variation to the structure plan.
The notification retains land-use zones for agriculture, residential, industrial, public and semi-public uses, and parks and playgrounds. However, it introduces further distinctions and permissions within these zones. Agricultural areas have been divided into risk and non-risk categories under the revised provisions.
In the agricultural risk zones, the permitted area for residential buildings has been raised to 500 square metres, while the limit for industrial buildings has been increased to 300 square metres. The revised provisions provide 50 per cent coverage in areas identified as being at risk and 65 per cent coverage in areas identified as being without risk, according to the report.
Residential buildings, including flats, will be permitted in non-risk zones. Residential construction will also be allowed in industrial and public-semi-public zones under the revised rules. The notification further provides relaxations in park and playground zones, creating scope for residential and commercial construction there.
The changes affect a planning area where building permissions have been shaped by a structure plan covering multiple local governments rather than a single municipality. That makes the notification relevant not only to individual property owners but also to developers, industrial establishments and local authorities processing construction applications across the wider Kochi region.
Kalamassery has been particularly affected by the earlier zoning restrictions. Around 45 per cent of the municipality’s land was included in the green zone, according to the report, limiting construction activity. Kalamassery Municipal Chairperson Jamal Manakkadan said at a press conference that the draft notification would remove obstacles that had remained in place in the municipality for around three and a half decades.
The notification comes as several planning exercises are proceeding simultaneously in the Kochi metropolitan region. A new master plan has already come into force for Kochi Municipal Corporation, while master plans for Kalamassery, Thrikkakara, Thrippunithura and Maradu are being prepared under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2. The relationship between the revised structure-plan zoning and these forthcoming master plans will be important for future building permissions and land-use decisions.
The variation was also prepared against the backdrop of court cases and complaints concerning the existing structure plan. The stated objective of the new changes is to provide immediate relief to the public while responding to development patterns, infrastructure networks and flood-related conditions in the area. The revised gazette notification now provides the operative framework for the changed zoning permissions.
