Where to Buy Affordable Plots/Properties in Chennai

Chennai being a well developed metropolis one may be excused for mistakenly assuming that it is difficult to get affordable plots, properties and apartments within Chennai limits and one has to go beyond Chennai to get affordable properties. However, that is not so. We will present a couple of good areas where it is still possible to get affordable plots and properties.

KK Nagar

KK Nagar or more accurately East KK Nagar was developed by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in the 1970s (it was included in the Corporation limit in 1978). It has well-laid roads and good connectivity to areas such as Guindy, Vadapalani and T.Nagar. It enjoys smooth connectivity through the suburban railway network (Mambalam Railway Station is within 6kms) and the Metropolitan Transport Corporation. Both the Central Railway Station and the Airport are at a distance of 12kms from here. The completion of the Metro is bound to give a boost to the real estate market here. A 1,100 sq.ft apartment is available for approximately 70 lakhs here.

West KK Nagar or Nesapakkam which was included in the corporation limit in the 1980s also has good development potential as a result of the multiplier effect of its eastern counterpart despite being less well developed even though both the parts of KK Nagar are located within a stretch of 3kms. Larger homes with more open space are more readily available here.

Wide roads, eminent schools and ample parking space attract upper middle and high income groups to East KK Nagar while IT professionals working in the DLF IT Park and other nearby IT companies prefer West KK Nagar due to affordable rental values.

Kolathur

Kolathur located in North Chennai is yet another area with a great scope for development which still has affordable real estate. It is well connected by both road and rail. The Grand Trunk Road links Kolathur with the Chennai-Hyderabad highway. The Inner Ring Road brings Anna Nagar within a distance of 10kms. The nearest bus depot is at Kumaran Nagar. Chennai Central is 15kms away and the shopping area of T.Nagar, 13kms.

The Villivakkam and the Perambur Loco Works railway stations provide rail connectivity. Its proximity to Anna Nagar which has reputed schools, colleges and hospitals and the business district of Ambattur make it an attractive destination. Capital values are a reasonable 4,000 per sq.ft with properties available in the range of 17-66 lakhs with sizes ranging from 410-1196 sq.ft; high-end apartments of 3,500 sq.ft priced at over Rs 1 crore are also available.

Tambaram, Kelambakkam, Vandalur and Valasaravakkam are a few other areas where it is still possible to get affordable properties.

Difference between DTCP and CMDA Approval Plots

In Tamil Nadu, the power to approve land development is vested in two authorities – the DTCP and the CMDA. If you are looking to develop a piece of land it is legally necessary to get approvals from the necessary authority. These approvals are required only if you are looking to “develop” and are not required if you are merely buying or selling land.

Here are the essential difference between approvals granted by the DTCP and the CMDA:

The difference in Jurisdiction

The Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) has approval jurisdiction over most of Tamil Nadu (except the area covered by the CMDA) including both plan- and non-plan areas (Plan areas are those areas in Tamil Nadu other than CMDA areas, wherein the Department of Town and Country Planning has prepared Master Plan which is duly approved by the Government). It functions under the control of the Housing and & Urban Development Department of the Secretariat.

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is a statutory body and is the nodal planning agency for the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). The CMA covers an area of 1,189 sq.km including the Chennai Corporation, 7 Municipalities, 12 Town Panchayats and 179 villages in 10 Panchayat Unions. The CMDA has approval jurisdiction for the CMA.

It is necessary to understand the exact extent of the CMDA’s jurisdiction as there are numerous areas in “Chennai”, especially in the fast developing “IT Corridors” where the approving authority is the DTCP and not the CMDA. This is because these areas do not come under the CMA and consequently under the CMDA’s jurisdiction.

The difference in the Granting of planning permission approvals

The DTCP, in many instances, has delegated powers up to various extents to local bodies (like Municipal Corporations) for the grant of planning permission. (Planning permission has to be obtained for lands lying in both plan- and non-plan areas). In other cases, planning permission is retained with the Local Planning Authority or the New Town Development Authority, which function under the DTCP.

The CMDA has delegated powers to the local bodies to issue planning permission for ordinary buildings and buildings under normally permissible categories of Industrial, Residential, Institutional and Commercial use zones and also sub-divisions & small layouts. The CMDA itself issues planning permissions, via its various Channels, to major developments and for developments for which powers were not delegated to local bodies.

Planning permission alone does not enable a developer to start construction. The developer also needs to obtain Building License (in case of DTCP-approval) and Building Permit (in case of CMDA-approval) from the respective local body.

What are DTCP Approved Plots

DTCP

The Directorate of Town & Country Planning (DTCP) headed by the Director is functioning under the Tamil Nadu T&CP Act, 1971. It functions under the control of Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UD) of the Secretariat. The department has its jurisdiction over the entire Tamil Nadu except Chennai Metropolitan Development Area (CMDA).

Role of DTCP

The DTCP aims to provide effective land development plan with sufficient infrastructural facilities for a favorable living environment requisite for the society. This is accomplished by joining together the physical, economic in addition to the social planning for the miscellaneous conditions viz., physiography, pattern of urbanization, traditional practices, socio-economic equalities among other things that are prevalent in different parts of the towns and villages.

The sanctioned plan of the Gram Panchayat is not valid as they are not empowered to approve such type of constructions as per delegation of powers without prior technical approval from UDA/ DTCP as per the Gram Panchayat Building Rules. The DTCP is an exclusive organization for urban planning. The DTCP which is a Town Planning Agency has the authority to develop and update Master Plans for an area under their jurisdiction. Master Plans are important documents. Master Plans identify the “usage” for which land is to be used. For example, Residential, Industrial, Agricultural, etc.

Before approval, as per regulations, DTCP has to scrutinize conversion certificate issued by the Mandal Revenue Officer [MRO]. It’s the duty of DTCP to incorporate the conversion status in Master Plan. Developer has to pay necessary conversion fee and development charges to concerned Municipality or Panchayat and then obtain Conversion Certificate from MRO and submit to DTCP. If land is not converted, then for all practical purposes, it remains a Farm Layout.

Residential Layout – Why do we need to Pay more for them

Why should we pay more than double the rate for unconverted land, when Farm Plots are available, cheap, nearby? If a developer disappears after selling plots without converting plots, in the so called “Residential Layout”, then DTCP and the Government can in future ask the plot owners to convert land and regularize layout which can be an uphill task. The MRO will ask for Panchayat Resolution agreeing to the layout, land documentation etc. It’s best left to the developer to handle this and he has to do conversion before approval by DTCP. Precisely this is why we are paying extra premium for a “Residential Layout”.