Blue Area's 659-foot, 45-storey tower gets CDA nod, a 580-foot tower too

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has given in-principle approval to a 45-storey mixed-use tower about 659 feet tall on Plot No. 13, Blue Area (F-8/G-8), which would be among the tallest buildings ever proposed in Islamabad, the authority said in a press release dated 24 October. Its Design Vetting Committee, chaired by Member Planning and Development Muhammad Umair, cleared five projects in all, including a second Blue Area tower of 42 storeys and about 580 feet on Plot No. 09 (F-9/G-9).

In-principle approval is not a building permit. CDA says every project must still meet planning rules, structural stability requirements, parking provision and fire and life-safety standards before it gets final approval.

The five projects at a glance

Inside the 659-foot Blue Area tower

According to CDA, the Plot 13 building is planned with:

• five basement levels of parking;
• shops on the ground floor, with separate entrance lobbies;
• floors set aside for restaurants;
• residential apartments on the upper floors, and penthouses at the top.

The developers have not been named, and CDA has not published a construction timeline or apartment prices.

Why CDA is pushing high-rises

The authority says it wants more high-rise buildings, modern commercial plazas and hotels of international standard in the capital, to bring in investment, create business space and attract tourists, while keeping Islamabad's green spaces. Chairman Sohail Ashraf said CDA would also speed up the building plan approval process. The approvals come a day before CDA signed an MoU with Saudi investors for what it calls Pakistan's first theme park in Islamabad, with CDA providing the land.

What it means for buyers in Islamabad

If you are offered a flat or shop in a proposed tower, ask the developer for the CDA approval letter and check whether it is an in-principle approval or an approved building plan; only the second allows construction. Our plot size converter turns square feet into marla and kanal, and the property tax calculator shows the tax on a purchase. CDA has also been recovering state land in Malpur off Murree Road, most recently on 25 October.