Dholera Tourism & Resorts Zone

The Tourism & Resorts Zone covers about 3,889 hectares — 7% of Dholera SIR’s developable land (DSIRDA Draft Development Plan, Table 3-2). Its stated purpose is narrow: beach resorts and hotels for the temporary occupation of visitors, within land designated as CRZ-III. That CRZ-III designation is the whole story. The zone rules in the draft GDCR are short — minimum plot 4,000 sqm, FAR 0.33, ground coverage 33%, height 9 metres and no more than ground plus one upper floor. That FAR is the lowest of any zone in the Dholera plan. On the 4,000 sqm minimum, it permits about 1,320 sqm of built-up area in total, spread across two floors. But the binding constraints come from the coastal rules, not the zone table. No construction is allowed within 200 metres landward of the High Tide Line, or anywhere between the Low and High Tide Lines. Buildings must sit beyond the hazard line or 200 metres from the High Tide Line, whichever is further. Sand dunes cannot be flattened. Permanent structures for sports facilities are not allowed, beyond goal posts, net posts and lamp posts. One detail deserves attention before anyone signs anything. Land inside the no-development zone still counts towards the FAR calculation even though nothing can be built on it. So a coastal parcel can include a strip you pay for, hold, and can never build on — and that strip still helps your permitted floor area. Whether that is good or bad for a specific plot depends entirely on where the boundary falls. The approval stack is longer here than anywhere else in Dholera. Prior approval from the Ministry of Environment and Forests is required before construction. The State Tourism Department must also approve. Groundwater cannot be tapped within 200 metres of the High Tide Line, and only with Ground Water Board concurrence within 500 metres. If forest land is involved, Forest (Conservation) Act clearance applies as well. In ecologically sensitive areas — mangroves, coral reefs, fish breeding and spawning grounds, wildlife habitats — resorts and hotels are not permitted at all.