Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Delhi Heritage Havelis Set for Restoration, Reuse and Incentives
Delhi has many very old homes and buildings called havelis.
A new city plan aims to protect these buildings while giving them useful new purposes.
Some could become hotels, offices, museums, libraries or cultural spaces.
Owners could receive a financial benefit for preserving their heritage properties.
This benefit would come through transferable development rights, known as TDR.
Any changes must keep the important historic character of the buildings.
Officials must approve the work and check its effect on heritage.
Fire and life-safety rules will still apply.
The plan says some old buildings have already been restored or turned into hotels in Chandni Chowk.
Delhi’s Master Plan for Delhi-2047 introduces a formal framework for restoring and adaptively reusing heritage buildings.
Owners may convert eligible properties into hotels, offices, museums, libraries, craft centres or cultural spaces.
Adaptive reuse will require statutory approval, a heritage impact assessment, and protection of the buildings’ heritage character.
Fire and life-safety measures will remain mandatory, while some space standards may be relaxed to enable practical reuse.
Heritage properties will receive an incentive FAR of 50 through transferable development rights, or TDR.
- Who
- Delhi’s heritage-property owners, city authorities and statutory approval bodies are involved.
- What
- The Master Plan for Delhi-2047 creates a framework for restoring heritage buildings, adapting them for new uses and compensating owners through TDR.
- When
- The framework was introduced through the newly notified Master Plan for Delhi-2047; officials discussed existing examples on Thursday.
- Where
- The policy applies in Delhi, including the Walled City of Shahjahanabad and Chandni Chowk.
- Why
- It aims to preserve old buildings by giving them practical new uses and making restoration financially attractive to owners.
- Heritage properties
- Delhi has more than 1,300 privately owned heritage properties.
- Havelis
- About 550 of the privately owned heritage properties are havelis.
- Main location
- Most are in the Walled City of Shahjahanabad.
- Permitted uses
- Potential uses include hotels, offices, museums, libraries, craft centres and cultural performance spaces.
- Required safeguards
- Projects need statutory approval, a heritage impact assessment, preservation of heritage character, and fire and life-safety measures.
- Financial incentive
- Heritage properties are eligible for an incentive FAR of 50 through transferable development rights.
- Existing examples
- Officials said two Chandni Chowk havelis have become hotels, while two others were restored and remain occupied by their owners’ families.