CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will now prepare a plan in-house to redevelop George Town in North Chennai, official sources said.This comes two years after George Town was selected for a pilot project, wherein 150 hectares would be redeveloped. For this, the CMDA had initially planned to hire independent consultants on a part-time basis for a year.
Last year, a notification for hiring urban designer, senior architect, three town planners and three registered architects was passed. But now there is a change in the plan. “We are doing it in-house and a survey has already been carried out in this regard,” said a senior official of the CMDA.Chennai is among the 25 cities selected for these two pilot projects under the Union government’s Amrut scheme.
The George Town area is bounded by Basin Bridge Road on the North, Rajaji Salai on the East, North Fort Road and Periyar EVR Salai on the South and Wall Tax Road on the West. Interestingly, the area selected for the scheme is classified under different land use zones which include primary residential, mixed residential use zone, institutional and industrial use zones as per the Second Masterplan Land Use Map.
Sources said a business and economy profile of George Town will be prepared to identify town planning interventions required for business development. This may include development of a logistics park or a financial hub to cater to banking, insurance and legal sectors.The plan will also include a road network and widening plan, road or street infrastructure and specifications, water and sewer line specifications, park and open spaces plan, on and off street parking plan and plan covering special infrastructure of the area.
Justice Rajeswaran Committee had said data from the survey carried out by Chennai Corporation and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority revealed that most of the constructions in George Town have been made without any regard to planning parameters with nil setbacks, encroachments on the public roads, aerial encroachments, violation of average floor space index.