Anna Salai, OMR to get a facelift as CMDA set to devise Local Area Plan

CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has planned to rope in consultants to prepare a Local Area Plan (LAP) for the city's dual nerve centres - Anna Salai and Old Mahabalipuram Road (Rajiv Gandhi Salai) - for a facelift.

Both corridors are economically important for the city and the goal of this initiative is to prepare a LAP for Anna Salai and OMR and their influence areas to make them more liveable by promoting compact, mixed-use developments, by planning accessible, dense and diverse urban places around transit, supported by walkable and NMT-friendly (non-motorized transport) neighbourhoods.

As per a CMDA document, LAP for the 12.5 km stretch between Omandurar Government Estate Junction to Kathipara Junction in Anna Salai and its influence area will be prepared. Also, the 10 km stretch between SRP Tools Junction to Shollinganallur in Old Mahabalipuram Road and its influence areas will have an exclusive LAP. The LAP will cover 500 metres on both sides of the selected corridors.

"The LAP around transit enables optimal utilisation of infrastructure and augmentation, enhanced use of public transit systems, that address the increasing traffic congestion and pollution levels, better road safety and long term environmental benefits," the document said.

The initiative is a part of the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) scheme proposed by the CMDA to promote developments along the city's major road, suburban train and metro rail corridors. As per the proposed TOD, the floor space index (FSI) along the corridors will be increased to allow taller buildings to accommodate more residents, who will be encouraged to use the public transportation system.

Explaining the rationale behind selecting Anna Salai and OMR, the CMDA says that Anna Salai includes prime commercial areas in Chennai such as Guindy, Saidapet, Nandanam, Teynampet, Thousand Lights, Royapettah and others. Anna Salai is well connected by bus and Metro Rail (existing and proposed) transport with 10 metro stations. Anna Salai is a house for a lot of commercial and institutional developments.

Similarly, OMR is home to several IT and ITeS (IT enabled Services) companies and houses prominent and well-developed localities such as Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Karapakkam, Sholinganallur, Kelambakkam and Semmancherry. The MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System) also runs parallel for 3 stations on the OMR. Also, a metro rail line will run 20 km from Nehru Nagar to Siruseri Sipcot with 19 stations.

During the LAP preparation, the planning authority will carry out a household survey in the respective localities.

The state housing and urban development department has already declared MRTS and suburban rail corridors as transit-oriented development (TOD) areas where the charges for availing of premium floor space index (FSI) have been slashed by 50 per cent. After the FSI was increased from 1.5 to 2 in 2019, planning permissions were issued based on 2 FSI, in addition to premium FSI (which is calculated based on road width). Orders are expected to declare major roads and metro lines as TOD areas and to increase FSI.

What is a LAP

A local area plan (lap) sets out a strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of a specific area within a local authority

What CMDA is trying to achieve

The goal of the initiative, according to the planning authority, is to prepare a Local Area Plan for Anna Salai and OMR and its influence areas to make them more liveable by promoting compact, mixed-use developments

Action Plan

The initiative is a part of the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) scheme proposed by the CMDA to promote developments along the city's major road

The LAP will cover 500 metres on both sides of the selected corridors

As per the proposed TOD, floor space index (FSI) along the corridors will be increased to allow taller buildings to accommodate more residents, who will be encouraged to use the public transportation system