Max built-up area for farmhouses hiked to 1,000sqm

Panaji: The town and country planning (TCP) department has revised the norms for farmhouses and, in a fresh notification, has said that farmhouses built on agricultural lands can have a built-up area of 1,000sqm.
In a notification issued on April 27, the maximum built-up area was limited to 500sqm.
On Thursday, chief town planner (administration) James Mathew issued a new notification saying that the expression “maximum built-up area of 500sqm per holding” should be read as “maximum built-up area of 1,000sqm per holding” for a farmhouse.
“The maximum built-up area permissible for a farmhouse, irrespective of the area of the plot, will be 1,000sqm,” said Mathew in the revised notification.
A fortnight ago, the TCP department tweaked construction regulations in Goa to pave the way for the construction of sports complexes, religious structures, yoga centres and farmhouses in green zones.
While doing so, the TCP said that farm houses could be built on land earmarked for agricultural purposes as long as the plot size is at least 10,000sqm.
TCP had also placed a height restriction of 7.6m from ground level to the eaves of the roof.
The new norms are still in the draft phase and the department has kept a 30-day window open for stakeholders to voice their objections.
TCP’s steering committee has approved and cleared the changes in the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations.