BHUBANESWAR: The Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) on Wednesday formally notified the Planning & Building Standard Regulations for the Old Areas, 2026, bringing into effect a regulatory framework exclusively for the historic core areas of the city.
The notification will apply to 43 wards of the old city, known as Silver City, recognising the unique urban morphology and long-standing developmental constraints of these organically evolved neighbourhoods.
The move assumes significations in the wake of the collapse of a balcony of an old apartment building in Mani Sahu Chhak locality of the city in November last year that had claimed three lives. The probe panel constituted to investigate the incident had flagged gross violation of the building plan of the said structure.
Official sources in Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department said unlike planned urban extensions, the old areas are characterised by narrow roads, limited access to plots, congestion, fragmented landholdings and inadequate parking spaces, making it difficult to implement the Odisha Development Authorities (Planning & Building Standards) Rules, 2020 in their standard form.
However, with the regulatory notification, they said CDA has institutionalised a context-sensitive and pragmatic planning approach tailored specifically to the needs of the old city.
The regulations seek to balance redevelopment imperatives with the preservation of Cuttack’s rich historic and cultural fabric, ensuring that growth does not come at the cost of identity, officials said.
Aligned with the spirit of the Odisha Development Authorities (Planning & Building Standards) third amendment notified earlier, the new framework now introduces calibrated relaxations to address ground realities. The minimum access road width requirement for small residential plots has been relaxed to 4.5 metre and setback norms for non-high-rise buildings have been rationalised, while the permissible floor area ratio (FAR) has been suitably recalibrated in keeping with the density and built form of the old city.
The regulations are expected to pave way for redevelopment potential in smaller and subdivided plots, improve accessibility, facilitate organised parking solutions, reduce congestion in the core areas and streamline the approval and regularisation process for property owners. By providing legal clarity and planning flexibility, the framework aims to encourage structured and compliant development within the historic precinct, H&UD authorities stated.