Real estate ventures in Kathmandu, which witnessed a brief hiatus after the April 25 earthquake, are set to rebound, with the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) approving more than 200 projects.

The government body responsible for sustainable development and planning of the Valley has approved 223 projects related to land development, integrated settlement and collective housing.

These projects are being undertaken by private developers and are meant to be used as private homes, according to Bhai Kaji Tiwari, deputy development commissioner of KVDA.

The authority, which had temporarily stopped issuing the permits after the quake, started clearing real estate projects from September-end. The government had halted the permit issuance so as to formulate the Basic Guideline on Settlement Development, Urban Planning Building Construction 2015, bringing changes to several provisions in previous regulations.

As per new rules, land development projects should make sure that roads in new settlements are at least six-metre wide for being eligible for building construction. Soil testing and seismic analysis have been made mandatory for constructing buildings taller than five storeys (17 metres), also called high-rise buildings.

With 37 land development projects, 75 integrated settlements and 33 collective housings, KVDA has approved 145 projects in Kathmandu district alone. Lalitpur saw approval of witness 67 housing projects, including 11 land development projects, 29 integrated settlements and 27 collective housings. In Bhaktapur, KVDA has okayed 11 projects—eight land development projects, one integrated settlement and two collective housings.

Land development project refers to dividing large areas of land into regular plots suitable for housing, while integrated settlements refer to apartment housing, and collective housing means housing colonies. “KVDA has granted these new development and construction permits to prevent Kathmandu from turning into an unmanaged concrete jungle,” KVDA Development Commissioner Yogeshwar Krishna Parajuli said. “All these projects are planned settlements and fulfil the requirements of open spaces and safety as felt necessary after the earthquake.”

According to KVDA, developers who have received these permits can begin work after taking further approval from the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction and municipalities concerned.