CHENNAI: The housing and urban development department on Monday amended the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019, raising the height limit for non high-rise buildings (NHRB) to 19.5 m from 18.3 m.
The amendments also revise road width criteria for commercial use, and provisions on parking, residential amenities, EV charging and accessibility.
The order also revises building norms in restricted development zones in aquifer recharge areas, specifying minimum plot sizes and floor space index (FSI) limits for different categories of land.
Plots in natham and economically weaker section areas must measure at least 80 sq m, with FSI capped at one. Elsewhere, the minimum plot size is 220 sq m and the FSI limit is 0.8.
The amendments also introduce specific parking requirements for information technology offices, IT-enabled services and bioinformatics centres. Such establishments must provide one car parking space for every 75 sq m floor area and one two-wheeler space for every 50 sq m.
For high-rise buildings (HRB), the permissible FSI, which determines the floor area that can be built relative to a plot’s size, remains at two for 12 m wide roads, 2.5 for 15 m roads and 3.25 for 18 m roads. Minimum setbacks increase with building height, ranging from seven metres for buildings up to 30 m tall, to 16 m for those exceeding 87 m.
Hotels and lodges must provide dormitory accommodation for drivers, with one bed for every required car parking space.
Most new residential buildings must provide electrical wiring for EV charging in every car and two-wheeler parking spaces. The requirement exempts buildings up to 14 m high, those with no more than eight dwelling units, and those with a floor area of up to 750 sq m.
In developments with more than 50 units, half the visitor-parking spaces must be equipped for fast charging.
The revised provisions also specify a 19.5 m height limit for assembly halls, cinemas, hotels and recreation facilities on large plots.