Streamlined Building Laws to Drive Hotel Growth in Uttar Pradesh

The government of Uttar Pradesh has revised the building construction laws to make it easier for the hotel industry to operate in the state, considering the significant increase in tourist arrivals over the years. The 2008 Building Construction and Development Byelaws have been amended under the leadership of CM Yogi Adiyanath to simplify the process of opening small hotels in the state.

As per the new regulations, a building must have a minimum of six rooms to be classified as a hotel. The minimum land area requirement for opening hotels with 6 to 20 rooms has been eliminated, provided the hotel adheres to the bylaws. The required land area for constructing large hotels has also been reduced by half.

Plot-Size Requirement Reduced

Previously, hotels with over 20 rooms needed a minimum plot size of 1,000 square meters, which has now been decreased to 500 square meters. However, the order prohibits the construction of hotels on residential plots in colonies developed under a specific plan. With the revisions, hotels with up to 20 rooms can now be built on 9-meter-wide roads in residential areas, while larger hotels require a 12-meter-wide road.

In non-residential areas, hotels can only be built on 12-meter-wide roads. Furthermore, hotel owners are obligated to allocate parking space of 1.5 equivalent car spaces per 100 square meters of built area in addition to adhering to circulation area norms. The amendments underline the need to reserve front and back space during hotel construction.

For buildings with a height of 15 meters, there must be a five-meter space in the front and three meters in the back, with an additional three-meter space on both sides. Buildings with a greater height are subject to the existing setback and ground coverage bylaws.

No Restriction on Building Height

Furthermore, the building's height within the permissible ground coverage and floor area ratio (FAR) will not be restricted. Still, it will be governed by the distance from protected monuments/heritage sites, the airport funnel zone, and other statutory limitations.

In the case of large hotels built on an area of 4,000 square meters or more, 20% of the FAR can be utilized for commercial and office purposes, and an additional 20% can be allocated for service apartments. Additionally, 5% of the extra ground coverage area can be designated for the entrance lobby in these large hotels, which will not be included in the calculation of FAR.

The number of tourists visiting Uttar Pradesh has increased significantly due to the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi. With the completion of various projects, such as the Vindhya Corridor in Mirzapur and the Banke Bihari Corridor in Mathura, the state government anticipates a surge in tourism bolstered by the measures that have been implemented.