LDA bylaws for apartments and farmhouses

Lahore’s real estate market has expanded exponentially in the last couple of years. Resultantly, people are increasingly eager to invest in the various housing schemes that are rapidly developing throughout the city. The most rapid construction is taking place in the case of high-rise apartment buildings and farmhouses. While most of these are authorised, there are still various parameters that you should know about before deciding on investing in a particular society offering these property options.

Checking if these rules are being followed will authenticity as well as the regulations that have to be followed for a housing scheme to do well in terms of investment turnover. According to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), the key pointers for building and construction in a housing scheme with apartment buildings are:

Provisions for apartment buildings

Setback=  A space without any structures. This is typically measured from the front, sides, and rear of the building. 

Right of way= An area to be left open for pedestrians and vehicles to move freely around the building.

The provisions for apartment buildings are:

• Approved apartment sites to have height 1.5 times the width of right of way summed with the width of the setback in front of the plot. Building height= (R.O.W x 1.5) + Setback or Building/House line.
• The apartment building can be built on sites measuring 4 kanals and above with 80 feet height.
• The apartment building can be built on unified plots sized 4 kanals and above.
• Parking requirement for apartment building is 1 car/1000 ft² of covered area.
• Apartment buildings can only be established in pre-earmarked areas, if not, then they are permissible on sites measuring 4 kanals or more.
• The total number of permissible storeys in an apartment building is not more than seven, excluding basements.
• The minimum height for each storey, other than the basements, has to be 9 feet and 6 inches (2.9m).
• The maximum height of any apartment building constructed on residential plots can’t be more than 80 feet, not accounting for chimney stacks, lift heads, and water towers. The maximum height should also not exceed 1.5 times of the width of right of way summed with the width of the setback in front of the plot. This maximum height is measured from the crown of the road to the top of the parapet wall.
• The mandatory size for open spaces on the sides of apartment buildings is 30 feet for building line, 13 feet for rear space and 13 feet for side space.

There are further specifications relating to ground coverage, Floor Area Ratio (FAR), height, number of storeys, and parking requirements.

Plot size/zone	Max No. of Storey (excluding basement)	Max Ground Coverage	Max Height (ft)	Max FAR	Maximum Parking Provision
Less than 5-marla	3	80%	38	1:2.4	Not mandatory
5 Marla & above	3	75%	38	1:2.3	1 car space/storey
10 Marla & Above but less than 1 Kanal	4	70%	45	1:2.8	1 car space/storey
1 Kanal to 30 Marla	4	65%	45	1:2.6	1 car space/storey
Above 30-marla but less than 2-kanal	4	60%	45	1:2.4	2 car space/storey
2-kanal & above	4	55%	45	1:2.2	2 car space/storey

 Provisions for farmhouses

• Number of storeys in a farmhouse can’t be more than two, with a maximum height of 30 feet (9.15m).
• Only one basement floor is permitted.
• Mandatory spaces have to be left vacant.
• Maximum ground coverage shall only be 30%.
• If the farmhouse accommodates animals for dairy/poultry, then the appropriate standards and protective measures as specified under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 should be followed.

Mandatory open spaces for farmhouses are:

Frontage of Plot	Rear Space	Side Space
Less than 30-feet	5 feet	Not required
30 feet & above but up to 50 feet	5 feet	5 feet on both sides
Above 50-feet & up to 70-feet	10 feet	5 feet on both sides
Above 70-feet	10 feet	10 feet on both sides

These are the essential guidelines for construction of apartment buildings and farmhouses as per LDA’s regulations. If you have any queries or feedback, please comment below.