High Density Corridor (HDC) policy in Delhi

What the HDC policy is

The High Density Corridor policy is the MPD-2047 instrument for intensive, mixed-use development along the Urban Extension Road-II corridor. The Plan describes HDC zones as intended to promote high-density, compact development with a mix of uses integrating residential, warehousing, logistics, commercial and other compatible uses, regulated through approved projects to facilitate integrated infrastructure, efficient land utilisation, enhanced economic activity and improved connectivity.

It is a smaller policy than the others by area — roughly 20 sq km against the 200 sq km each of Land Pooling and TOD — but it is significant for two reasons. It sits along Delhi's principal new arterial corridor, and it is the only chapter in the Plan that pairs high-FAR mixed-use development with an explicit warehousing and logistics allowance on the same corridor.

The HDC Zone along UER-II

The Plan defines the HDC Zone as:

Area under 250-meter-wide corridor on either side from the edge of the ROW of the Urban Extension Road (UER)-II (subject to the availability of secondary service road along the executed stretch of UER-II) in the areas of Planning Zones K-I, L, N, P-I and P-II, where the provisions of this Policy are applicable.

Three qualifiers in that definition matter and are easily missed:

• Measured from the edge of the Right of Way, not from the centreline — unlike the TOD Zone, which is measured from the centreline.
• Subject to the availability of a secondary service road along the executed stretch. Corridor frontage alone is not the test.
• Only in Planning Zones K-I, L, N, P-I and P-II. UER-II frontage outside those zones does not attract the policy.

The Plan also provides for a Road Network Plan (RNP) to be prepared by DDA for the HDC Zone, which shall be in sync with the RNP prepared for the concerned Land Pooling Area, including new roads, widening of existing Rights of Way, and upgradation of road infrastructure including pedestrianisation and non-motorised transport, along with the essential infrastructure and services required to support the density envisaged.

The HDC Zone is shown on Map 4 of the Plan. Provisions extend to future stretches of the Urban Extension Road as envisaged in the Master Plan, upon their execution.

Eligibility and the 50% surrender

The HDC eligibility structure is distinctive, and understanding it correctly is essential before any land is valued on the basis of this policy.

Note the 75% coverage requirement — materially stricter than TOD, which requires only 50% of the plot inside its zone.

Surrender beyond 50%

The Plan provides that FAR benefits shall be given to HDC Plots for the portion of land surrendered to DDA beyond the maximum limit of 50%, for road widening or public facility. This is allowed with the approval of the Committee for Final HDC Plots where the Original Plot is at least 8,000 sqm but the Final Plot of 4,000 sqm may not be allottable in the RNP because of site-level constraints.

FAR and permitted uses

The Plan provides that the Final HDC Plot area shall be utilised by the Developer Entity for development of any of the following uses — Residential, Commercial, PSP and Warehousing/Logistics — as per these norms:

• HDC charges, as notified from time to time, are payable by the landowner.
• Vertical mix of uses is allowed, except in plots earmarked for warehousing and logistics use. Where residential and non-residential uses are mixed vertically, separate entries, exits and service cores must be provided in compliance with statutory requirements.
• The TOD Committee may relax ground coverage where the permissible FAR is not achievable owing to site-specific constraints.

What is excluded from FAR

• Land under existing service lanes, public roads, public drains and public parks is not counted for computation of FAR, ground coverage or scheme area.
• Public amenities provided as part of the development — public toilets, bridges and similar — are free of FAR, provided the Developer Entity maintains them regularly and they remain open and accessible to the public at all times, failing which the local body takes them over.
• Development control norms for government lands may be relaxed subject to Central Government approval on the recommendation of the TOD Committee.

Ground coverage, setbacks and green space

Where relaxation in ground coverage is sought, the Plan requires that it not compromise fire and safety norms, the area to be maintained under green spaces, or — for warehousing and logistics plots — the area required for parking, loading and unloading.

Where HDC does not apply

The Plan provides that the HDC Policy applies only in the HDC Zone, and shall not apply in the following areas, or such other areas as notified by DDA from time to time:

• Any environmentally sensitive areas
• Low Density Area
• Monument Prohibited Area and Heritage Buildings
• Cantonment and Defence Areas

As with TOD, the Low Density Area exclusion is absolute. Land in the 70 low-density villages does not access HDC intensity regardless of its position relative to a corridor.

HDC compared with TOD and Land Pooling

Because the three policies can appear superficially similar — all three raise intensity in exchange for land and charges — it is worth setting them side by side.

The Land Pooling chapter provides that for other development policies applicable in land pooling zones, such as TOD and HDC, the development control norms of those respective policies govern such plots, with Land Pooling norms prevailing otherwise. Because HDC applies in Zones K-I, L, N, P-I and P-II — substantially overlapping the land pooling zones — a parcel on the UER-II corridor may sit under both frameworks, and establishing which produces the better outcome is a genuine analytical question rather than a formality.

Frequently asked questions