ISLAMABAD: The federal commission revising Islamabad’s master plan refused to consider by-laws proposed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to increase the number of storeys permitted in markazes and small markets.

Sources said the CDA presented its proposal before the commission at its meeting on Thursday, but the commission did not consider it, saying that its principal function is to carry out a comprehensive revision of the master plan and not to increase the number of permitted storeys, that too without carrying out any studies.

The CDA board approved new by-laws last week allowing the construction of high-rise buildings in Blue Area, and along the Islamabad Expressway, Kashmir Highway and all other roads with a 300 foot right-of-way.

The board had rejected the proposal to increase storeys in markazes and class three shopping centres.

Says its principal function is to carry out comprehensive revision of master plan

Sources said that when the CDA presented its proposed regulations to the commission, members pointed out that the authority had not done the same for its new by-laws for Blue Area and other parts of the capital.

“It’s like putting the cart before the horse,” a commission member remarked, after looking at the proposal.

Sources said the commission told the CDA that such matters could not be taken up before studies are conducted by a consultant.

Under the original by-laws, class three shopping centres – the small markets in every sub-sector that were designed so that residents could access everyday items close to their homes – were allowed ground-plus-one storeys, of which the ground floor was meant for commercial use and the first for residential.

The CDA later allowed commercial basements as well, and kept quiet when the first floor was used for commercial activity. The authority is now seeking to have another floor approved in these markets, increasing the permitted storeys to four.

At the same time, parking space is most city markazes is shrinking, and the burden will only increase if new storeys are added.

Some officials in the CDA said that if the number of storeys is increased in class three shopping centres and markazes, housing schemes would be the main benefactors. Many housing schemes already have four-storey buildings in their class three shopping centres, as well as eight-storey buildings in markazes, which could be retroactively legalised by the by-laws, they said.

CDA spokesperson Syed Safdar Ali confirmed that the proposed by-laws were presented to the commission. He claimed that “some members of the commission have privately observed that they cannot make a suggestion on by-laws etc without a detailed study for which they want another seven months to a year.”

He added that the CDA’s regulatory functions are up to the CDA to dispose and beyond the scope of the commission.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2019