Singapore-listed technology park developer Ascendas is close to acquire an IT Special Economic Zone of Shriram Properties in Chennai for about Rs 500 crore, said banking sources close to the development. Ascendas, which owns a string of business parks in India, is said to have pipped competing offers from other global investors Tishmen Speyer, Xander Group and Mapletree, a real estate arm of Temasek.
Does it reflect a disconnect in the luxury housing where demand of high-end units is 16% but supply is as high as 80%? “Not Really.” says Anmol Haval DGM, Sales & Marketing of City Corporation Limited (CCL) which has launched ‘Sweet Water Villas’, an exclusive project of limited edition villas at ‘Amanora’, the first integrated township being developed under the special township policy of Government of Maharashtra.
Developers are outdoing each other in bringing the latest technology, and offering exclusive amenities and luxuries, not to mention the big-ticket designer names. Track2Realty finds the concept of luxury living is increasingly being redefined as the Indian real-estate market matures. There is no dearth of buyers either, provided luxury living is customised with buyers’ profile, taste, choice and needs.
Indian realty firm Synergy Property Development Services Ltd bagged, through international bidding, a $153-million township development project in the central African country of Rwanda.
Spiraling property prices and slump in home sales have forced the Union Housing Ministry to think out-of-the-box solutions. After the decision to set up a high-level committee to recommend policy interventions to facilitate creation of rental housing stocks, the ministry has now sought views from private developers and builders to evolve a strategy for reducing the time taken in approval of real estate projects that can help bring down the cost of houses.
Puravankara Projects Limited has ventured into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to cater to the Indian housing needs of NRIs residing there. With the increasing interest among Indians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to invest in luxury and affordable luxury homes back home in India, Puravankara is now well poised to tap this potential market with a permanent presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its new branch office in Al Khobar, Dammam.
The market regulator Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the real estate arm of the Sahara group of companies had no right to mobilise Rs.27,000 crore from 30 million investors through debentures without complying with the regulatory regime.
The new concept of integrated townships is now more about a single developer taking over a large tract of land. There are benefits too. “The infrastructure is under the developers’ control,” explains Anuj Puri, Chairman and Country Head, JLLI, adding that the developer can plan and use the FSI better, and long-term maintenance is a possibility.
Integrated townships can reduce the burden on infrastructure and provide a fulfilling lifestyle for buyers, at a much reduced cost all round. Gulam Zia, National Director – Research & Advisory Services, Knight Frank India points out, “Of late, the planning authorities and Government bodies have realised the importance of integrated townships and are giving special concessions for creation of such townships.
What goes into the strategic planning of an integrated township to make it a case study in flagship project? One such integrated township in Mumbai is Kohinoor City at Kurla Vidyavihar. Atul Modak, Head of Kohinoor City says, “What we considered was the need to provide plenty of recreational space and all ultra-modern amenities. It truly had to be a ‘city’ where all their needs and luxuries could be met.