In a major urban planning shift, the Karnataka government has issued a draft notification proposing to increase the stilt parking height limit in Bengaluru from 2.4 metres to 4.5 metres. The move is aimed at enabling mechanised, multi-level parking systems to accommodate more vehicles in the congested city.
Previously, the 2.4-metre cap was enforced to discourage human habitation, as 2.75 metres is the minimum required for residential use. The new draft also proposes a significant policy change — excluding the stilt floor from a building’s total height calculation, which is otherwise dictated by plot size and adjoining road width.
This proposal comes on the heels of recent updates to the Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2015, covering new and ongoing constructions within Bengaluru’s local planning area.
However, concerns are mounting over potential misuse and illegal commercialisation. Activist Suhas Ananth Rajkumar warned that these relaxed norms may lead developers to convert stilt parking into commercial spaces, just as many basements are currently being used in violation of building rules.
The draft also relaxes setback norms for buildings between 11.5 and 15 metres high, reducing the required buffer to 1.5 metres at the front and 1 metre at the sides and rear, but only for plots under 4,000 square metres.
Critics urge the government to enforce parking norms strictly and mandate proof of parking space before allowing vehicle purchases.
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