Shivaji Park Maidan may lose Grade-1 heritage tag

“We felt we cannot discriminate on the heritage grades for open spaces; Cooperage Maidan is as important as a Shivaji Park Maidan or August Kranti Maidan. In these spaces, there is no clear distinction for being categorised as Grade-I or Grade-II, so instead it has been suggested that a new grade, ‘OS’ be introduced for these. The new grade would mean only the open space has to be protected and preserved,” said a member of the committee.

For Grade-I heritage structures, as per section 67 of the Development Control Regulations, 1991, a buffer zone of 100 m surrounding the structure is formed where the “view to” and the “view from” the said structure must be maintained. While there are no specific regulations for construction in the zone, any development activity here falls under the purview of MHCC.

“During the meetings with politicians, the primary concern was keeping redevelopment in the precinct out of the heritage tag. If the Grade-I tag for the maidan remains, then the buffer zone surrounding it, which is larger than the area of the proposed precinct itself, would still be under the control of MHCC. To avoid this and to balance the demands of conservation and development, a new grade has been proposed,” a senior official said.

While lifting these curbs, the review committee has recommended the state government recognise the proposed precinct as an Area of Comprehensive Development under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act of 1996.

“These are broad suggestions. If they approve of these, a special Government Regulation (GR) may be issued, after which special urban design laws can be applied for this precinct. Only if this is done can our other suggestions for preservation come into effect,” a member said.

The committee has proposed a height limit of 34-40 m for redevelopment projects in Shivaji Park. This is in line with final demands made by the group leaders of the BMC and the mayor at a meeting with Afzalpurkar in January. The new limit is opposed to the MHCC’s guideline of a height limit of 24-30 m for redevelopment in heritage precincts.
While the BMC group leaders also felt that builders should not be bound to imitate the architectural features of the precinct, the review committee has made some minor suggestions in this regard.

While there is no longer an obligation to maintain balconies, a characteristic feature of the present precinct, the committee has suggested introducing Art Deco window grills instead of box grills. The broad recommendations do not provide any protection for specific structures in the precinct that are of markedly greater heritage value and design.

Afzalpurkar said, “The report is confidential and is in respect to the Dadar-Shivaji Park precinct alone. The decision rests with the state on the recommendations.”

alison.saldanha@expressindia.com