Buildings can scale 100 storeys around BIA, say new rules

Bangalore: Devanahalli, which is emerging as the Aerotropolis -- airport city -- can now have skyscrapers going up 100 storeys. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Union ministry of civil aviation have stretched the vertical limit around Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) from 150 metres to 300 metres, within a radius of 20 km.
A new rule that's been implemented from June, it has caught the local area planning authority -- Bangalore International Airport Area Planning Authority (BIAAPA) -- unawares. The authority is still sticking to its rule book, which puts the maximum height at 25 metres around the airport.
The regulation, which kicked in for all major airports across the country, came through after builders petitioned the ministry to increase the height around airports as commercial and residential ventures in the vicinity have proved to be good business.
In May, the AAI notified that buildings within a radius of 20 km from the airport can go up to a maximum height of 300 metres, which means roughly 100 floors. The Union civil aviation ministry has also notified that the airports will have to issue NoCs based on the new rules. Certain parameters have been fixed for the heights, based on the distance from runways, and landing and take-off paths.
Aerotropolis is a relatively new concept, where a self-sustained town emerges around the airport with hospitality industry, commercial ventures and also residential enclaves. Here too, around BIA, the realty sector was buzzing with activity when the airport was commissioned, till the market crash last year.
29/10/09 S Kushala/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Oct 2009