Paving the way for its first new corporation hall in 133 years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Standing Committee on Thursday cleared a proposal to construct a six-storey building with a 350-seater hall across the civic headquarters in Fort. The project, estimated to cost Rs 44.87 crore, is expected to take two years to complete, after which civic proceedings will shift to the new venue.On Thursday, the BMC’s Chief Architect Department presented the conceptual designs for the new town hall. The building will house shopping areas, parking spaces, a badminton court, a gymnasium, offices for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition, alongside the new corporation hall.The new structure will replace the existing civic gymkhana, which has remained defunct for the past few years because of its dilapidated condition. The BMC had previously floated tenders to redevelop the old gymkhana into a “town hall gymkhana”, primarily catering to tourists visiting the area. However, the plan was redesigned to incorporate a corporation hall after concerns over the space crunch in the existing heritage hall came to the fore earlier this year. (Credit: Gemini)Ganesh Khankar, Leader of the House in the BMC, said, “At present, the seating space in the corporation hall is very congested, creating problems for corporators after a few hours. The new house will have the capacity to hold up to 350 corporators to ensure that the space will suffice even when the strength of corporators increases in future. The seating area will be planned on elevations, giving it the feel of the Vidhan Sabha, and allowing all corporators to be visible clearly.”Also Read | Viewing deck, cafes, parking and more: BMC plans new ‘Townhall Gymkhana’ with glass dome near CSMTInside the building: What the BMC has plannedSpread over 5,000 square metres, the building will be restricted to a height of 31.9 metres to ensure that it aligns with the heritage structures surrounding it, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and the BMC headquarters.The basement will have parking space for 70 vehicles, along with car lifts and a driveway.Story continues below this adThe ground floor will feature a fountain, entrance lobbies, a gallery hall and shops. The two podium levels will have parking spaces and a badminton court with high ceilings. The third floor will house a gymnasium and an indoor sports section.The BMC has earmarked the upper floors for official use. The fourth floor will have offices for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the House, along with a pantry and cafeteria. The fifth and sixth floors will house the corporation hall, with seating for up to 350 corporators, a podium with chairs for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, a press box and a VIP seating area. The basement will have parking space for 70 vehicles, along with car lifts and a driveway. (Credit: Gemini)“Behind the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the administration seats, the building will also comprise a row of seating for officials from the Municipal Secretary’s office,” said Khankar.Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde called the proposal historic and cleared the plans for the new civic hall on Thursday, approving the release of Rs 44.87 crore for the appointment of an external agency.Story continues below this adAlso Read | BMC plans statue relocation in heritage Corporation Hall to make room for councillorsConnecting bridge, more parking: Panel raises demandsDuring the presentation, members of the Standing Committee raised concerns over connectivity, clearances from the heritage panel, the tender cost and parking space. The ground floor will feature a fountain, entrance lobbies, a gallery hall and shops. The two podium levels will have parking spaces and a badminton court with high ceilings. The third floor will house a gymnasium and an indoor sports section. (Credit: Gemini)NCP corporator Dr Saeeda Khan said, “The new structure will come up in a high footfall location where there is immense space crunch. We are already facing a parking crisis. If the hall is planned to accommodate 350 corporators, how will 70 parking spaces be sufficient?”Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporator Yashwant Killedar called for a connecting bridge between the existing BMC headquarters and the new structure to make it easier for corporators to move between the two buildings. Meanwhile, AIMIM corporator Zameer Qureshi raised concerns over the 26 per cent escalation in cost following design revisions and the decision to appoint the same contractor for the revised plans.Story continues below this adResponding to the concerns, Additional Municipal Commissioner Prajakta Lavangare Verma said the building would have limited parking space because of height restrictions imposed under heritage precinct norms. “The building will incorporate plans for rain water harvesting and adequate fire fighting. Meanwhile, all the prerequisite No Objection Certificates will be procured by the contractor.”