Master Plan Lahore Division 2050: smog fears aired at hearing as plan backs high-rises

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA) held a public hearing on Monday on the environmental side of the Master Plan Lahore Division 2050, the plan that will decide where housing, industry, roads and green space go across the division for the next quarter-century, Business Recorder reported.

What the plan covers

The master plan takes in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Nankana, including areas under the Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA), the Central Business District, the Cantonment and DHA. Consultants Dar Al-Handasah and Asian Consultant Engineering presented it, and said it accounts for population growth, urban sprawl and housing demand, and includes an Environmental Impact Assessment.

Its priorities, as presented:

• Public transport, roads and planning around commuters and pedestrians.
• Housing, schools, healthcare and industrial zones.
• Sewerage, water supply, parks, landscaping and cultural spaces.
• Encouraging high-rise commercial and residential buildings.

What was raised

Punjab EPA director Fauzia Akram briefed the hearing on smog and pollution, and environmental experts Rafay Alam and Aleem Butt spoke on the causes of Lahore's pollution and remedies. Concerns included smog, haphazard industrial expansion and the social and economic pressures of growth. Architect Kamil Khan Mumtaz of the Lahore Bachao Tehreek explained the plan's stages, and consultants took questions from citizens and students. The EPA's additional DG (operations), Sharjeel Hafeez Wattoo, and the LDA's chief metropolitan planner also spoke.

The suggestions on pollution are to be reviewed and fed into the final plan. No deadline for written objections or date for approval was announced.

What it means if you are buying or building

A master plan fixes land use: whether a plot sits in a residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural zone, and how tall you can build. A push for high-rises usually means taller buildings allowed along main roads and transit corridors, which tends to lift land prices there. Before buying in Sheikhupura, Kasur or the Ravi corridor, check the plot's zoning with the LDA, and check the title and approvals of any housing society.

Our plot size converter turns marla and kanal into square feet, and the stamp duty calculator and property tax calculator show what a transfer costs. Agents are listed in our Lahore real estate directory.