Chennai: All corporations and municipalities in Tamil Nadu can approve residential building plans with a total floor space index (FSI) area of up to 1,500sqm (16,140sqft) and a maximum of 16 dwelling units, said an order issued by the housing and urban development department.FSI area is calculated by multiplying the plot area by the permissible FSI value. The earlier limit was 10,000sqft. “We have simplified the process. Under the previous regime, people faced unnecessary hassles,” housing and urban development minister B Rajkumar told TOI. The state govt has enhanced the powers of urban and rural local bodies to grant planning permission for residential and commercial buildings, in a move aimed at expediting approvals and decentralising decision-making.Town panchayats and rural development and panchayat raj bodies can now approve residential buildings with an FSI area of up to 1,200sqm (12,912sqft) with a maximum of 12 dwelling units, up from the earlier limit of eight.Under the revised delegation of powers, all rural and urban local bodies can approve residential and commercial buildings up to 14m high, subject to a maximum of stilt-plus-three floors or ground-plus-two floors. The earlier height limit for residential buildings was 12m.For commercial buildings, all three categories of local bodies can grant permission for structures with an FSI area of up to 500sqm (5,380swft). “This is a welcome move. The Greater Chennai Corporation earlier granted permission only for buildings of up to 3,280sqft, while other local bodies were limited to 2,000sqft. The latest decision will help prevent violations arising from misuse of buildings,” said S Ramaprabhu of the Builders Association of India-Southern Centre.The decision follows a recommendation by the commissioner of town and country planning to enhance the delegation of powers to local bodies.In 2020, AIADMK govt delegated planning permission powers to local bodies, excluding Chennai, allowing them to approve buildings with a built-up area of up to 10,000sqft and a maximum of eight dwelling units. The limit for commercial buildings was 2,000sqft. Following representations from the Builders Association of India and CREDAI, the subsequent DMK govt amended the criterion for residential approvals, replacing built-up area with FSI area.
