Ahmedabad: Following Unesco’s Reactive Monitoring Mission in March this year, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the Ahmedabad World Heritage City Trust (AWHCT) have formalised a Guiding Matrix — a rule-by-rule framework that determines exactly what kind of Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is required before any construction project in the Walled City or its buffer zone receives development permission.According to the AWHCT’s formal directive to the town development officer: “The said HIA will be reviewed and recommended by the heritage conservation committee, Govt of Gujarat, before the issuance of the development or building use (BU) permission.” In practice, this means no BU permission will be issued for public or private projects within the core Walled City or its buffer zone until a project-specific assessment is cleared by the state govt-appointed heritage conservation committee.The matrix categorises projects by their physical linkage to heritage assets. For any property abutting the fort’s wall or a notified heritage structure, height increases are strictly restricted and any increase in floor area triggers “a full detailed HIA.”Within designated heritage precincts, even reconstruction requires a ‘screening HIA’. New construction exceeding 500 sq m anywhere in the zone automatically requires a ‘Detailed HIA’, regardless of whether the plot sits near a listed structure, states the AMC’s internal policy paper.Small property owners have a narrow exemption. The Final HIA Matrix states, “Any existing building having ground coverage of 60 sq m or less, where there is no increment in height, footprint, or area, HIA is not required.” However, this exemption lapses entirely if the building abuts a listed structure or falls within a heritage precinct. All approved new construction must also comply with AWHCT facade recommendations and Urban Design Guidelines.Unesco’s March mission, comprising officers from ICOMOS, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), flagged limited progress on the Heritage Conservation Plan and Urban Design Guidelines.
