Aiming to improve public transportation, urban infrastructure and parking facilities around the metro corridors, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is planning to develop areas within a 500-metre radius of 11 metro stations across the city.
Through this, PCMC has an objective to ensure smooth traffic flow, enhanced connectivity for commuters and promote Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
A modification to the construction permissions in these zones will be done for the redevelopment of commercial and residential buildings.
Local Area Plan (LAP)
The Local Area Plan will be made considering the Unified Development Control and Promotion Rules (UDCPR), and the project has been assigned to a Gujarat-based organisation, which will conduct surveys of all 11 metro station areas.
The LAP includes steps to create safer and more efficient pedestrian and vehicular movement, improve the overall standard of living for residents, and prevent traffic congestion, while adding new design guidelines and zoning reservations.
Developers constructing new buildings in Transit Oriented Development Zone (TOD) zones will now require special permissions from PCMC and will be mandated to leave at least nine metres of open space in front of their buildings for parking.
Nine-Month Deadline
PCMC City Engineer Makarand Nikam said, “Following public hearing and state government approval, the implementation will begin while the Local Area Plan will be prepared within nine months.”
“A tender was floated to appoint the agency for LAP, for which two organisations had participated. Of the two, one qualified organisation has been awarded the contract to prepare the LAP,” Nikam added.
Following an approval from the Maharashtra government, the PCMC will begin with on-ground implementation to transform metro station areas into well-planned, accessible urban zones.
Under the plan, a total of 11 metro station areas will be developed. And the area within 500 metres of each metro station has been designated as a Transit Oriented Development Zone (TOD Zone).
