Open Space Reserve

WHY IN NEWS?

Chennai Corporation has planned to stop converting large OSR (Open Space Reserve) lands into conventional parks in the city to reduce capital and maintenance expenditure.

ABOUT OPEN SPACE RESERVE

• An open space reserve (also called open space preserve, open space reservation, and green space) is an area of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside.
• The purpose of an open space reserve may include
  • the preservation or conservation of a community or region's rural natural or historic character;
  • the conservation or preservation of a land or water area for the sake of recreational, ecological, environmental, aesthetic, or agricultural interests; or
  • the management of a community or region's growth in terms of development, industry, or natural resources extraction.
• Open space reserves may be urban, suburban, or rural.
• They may be actual designated areas of land or water, or they may be zoning districts or overlays where development is limited or controlled to create undeveloped areas of land or water within a community or region.
• They may be publicly owned or owned by non-profit or private interests.
• According to Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) development and control rules, 10 per cent of an area should be reserved as communal and recreational open space before the actual approval of any layout under the provisions of Town and Country Planning Act.

Prelims Question

Q. Consider the following statements regarding Open Space Reserve. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
a. It is an area of protected or conserved land or water on which industrial development is indefinitely set aside
b. One of its aims is preservation of a land or water area for the sake of recreational, aesthetic, or agricultural interests
c. Open space reserves may be urban, suburban, or rural
d. Only publicly owned land can be declared as Open Space Reserve

Answer to the Prelims Question