Delhi Development Authority's (DDA's) new farmhouse policy makes provision for smaller 1-acre farmhouses as against the minimum size of 2.5 acres earlier. Finally, the 1 Acre Country Home Policy is now Gazetted and now one can comfortably say that the Country Homes are absolutely legal to own and to build on. Unlike the earlier grey area in the Delhi Country Homes, now one can legally hold, own and build Country Home to live in. Under the new country home policy, the Delhi Development Authority has earmarked area as Green Belt along the periphery of Delhi, the applied logic is to earmark the first village from another state border or in other words the last village of the periphery.
These new dwellings called Country Homes will be allowed a higher floor area ratio (FAR) of 20 compared to the earlier stipulated 15. The new policy also allows owners to pay an extra charge for utilising higher FAR than what has been stipulated. Older farmhouses that have utilised higher floor areas than what was sanctioned are now being regularised by paying a penalty. Farmhouses in Delhi are only allowed in the peripheral green belt of the city but the government is yet to decide the areas in the green belt where it will allow these Country Homes to come up.
Two Dwelling Units on LDRA(Low Density Residential Area) plots of one acre (0.40 ha.) may be permitted with FAR of 20 and for additional 10 FAR i.e from 20 to 30 on an additional Dwelling Units is allowed subject to payment of requisite charges as approved and notified by the Government of India EWS units of 60 sq m. per acre in addition to permitted FAR. There are no charges up to 20 FAR. The charges for excess constriction beyond 20 and up to 25 FAR shall be recovered @ Rs.16000 per Sq m. In the case of FAR beyond 25 and up to 30 the charges shall be recovered @ Rs.18000 per sq m.
By adopting the aforesaid rates, the following would be the illustrative rated of charges payable for plots in LDRA of 0.4 ha size (4000 sq m) in terms of policy notified on 10.5.2013 :-
| FAR Utilized | Excess FAR over 20 | Converted into Sq. M. | Rates of charges to be recovered (in Rs./Sq m) | Total charges in lakhs of Rs. |
| 20 | 0 | 0 | NIL | NIL |
| 22 | 2 | 80 | 16000 | 12.80 |
| 25 | 5 | 200 | 16000 | 32.00 |
| 27 | 7 | 280 | 18000 | 50.40 |
| 30 | 10 | 400 | 18000 | 72.00 |
List of villages in green Belt where Low Density Residential plots are permitted
| Zone-L |
Badusaria |
Bakargarh Dhansa Ghuman Hera Jainpur Jhatikara Kangan Hera Mundgela Khurd Ragho Pur Shikar Pur Tikri Kalan (Part) |
|
Zone P-I |
Bakaner |
Lampur Mamurpur |
| Zone P-II |
Hamid Pur |
Singhu Tajpur Kalan |
| Zone N | Auchandi Mungeshpur Qutabgarh Khor Punjab Chatesar |
Jaunti Garhi Rindhala Nizampur- Rashidpur Tikri Kalan (Part) Hareoli |
List of Villages declared as Low Density Residential Area (LDRA) in Urban Extension :
|
Sayurpur |
Satbari |
|
Chattapur |
Khanpur |
|
Devil |
Bhatti |
|
Fatehpur Beri |
Asola |
|
Jounapur |
Chandan hula |
|
Gadaipur |
Sultanpur |
|
Mehrauli |
Rajokri |
|
Ghitorni |
Rangpuri |
|
Holambi Khurd |
Bakoli |
|
Bakatawarpur |
Hiranki |
|
Bamnoli |
Bijwasan |
With the new policy opening up, in due course of time this will open up bank-ability of this asset class, which is likely to open up a whole host of opportunities not only for the business class, but also for the corporate executives to buy, own and build on these one acre farms.