Access through Bellary Road and the planned integrated development projects add to the potential for growth in this belt.

1. Leena.Mudbidri
@timesgroup.com
D
riving to the Nandi Hills
early mornings is one
of the perks Bengaluru
north offers adventure lovers.
The view from the top may be
hazy but the drive ensures the
trip is worth every bit.
Nobody dreamt that this
sleepy part of the city once dot-
ted with vast expanses of dry-
land and vineyards, would
sport its first 'greenfield' air-
port and become a 'happening'
zone for trade, transport, ad-
venture and entertainment.
Flights of fancy
The entrance to the Kempe-
gowda International Airport
through the trumpet loop is as
dramatic as the string of
events this aerodrome hosts
round the year. Bangalore In-
ternational Airport Limited
(BIAL), operators of the air-
port, believe that travel is all
about new experiences and dis-
covery and transforming this
experience of the travelers and
visitors has been at the core of
all the activities.
The airport holds month
long shopping festivals which
include lively regional dances
and performances. The par-
ticipating passengers get a
host of discounts and promo-
tions around airport shopping
and F&B. The Kaapi Trail, a
10-day coffee festival is a voy-
age of discovery of South In-
dia connecting all the four
southern States with Ben-
galuru.
Summer season brings the
joy of travelling for children
across ages. The airport is
abuzz with the Play port con-
cept which turns it into a
fun place where children ex-
perience the airport through
interactive exercises, fun-filled
games, storytelling,
magic show, contests and
much more.
Expos and shows
The status of Tumkur Road,
which was once the nerve cen-
tre for inter-state transport ve-
hicles passing through with
truckloads of granite and oth-
er goods, and a hub for small
industries, has gone up a few
notches with major Indian and
global corporations setting up
their large manufacturing
units here. The elevated ex-
pressway gave the locality a
shot in the arm and improved
connectivity.
Large villas, resorts and
sprawling residential enclaves
dot this stretch while the Ban-
galore International Exhibi-
tion Centre (BIEC) beckons top
notch domestic and global
business events to be hosted
in its extensive air-conditioned
halls.
Motor sports and spas
The meandering stretches
of dust patches along Dodda-
ballapura Road have given way
to tarred two-lane swanky
roads leading to resorts and
spas nestling within lush
greenery and tranquility. Dust
tracks are just what motor
sports enthusiasts aim for as
they pump up excitement and
burn rubber at the various mo-
tosports rallies this stretch of
Yelahanka hosts. The K1000
Rally an annual motorsports
race has found a new venue for
a flag off.
Showbiz
A large arena in Yelahanka
and the host of clubs and re-
sorts flanking the airport road
expressway have become
hotspots for music lovers of all
kinds. A long drive to and from
these far off venues has not de-
terred the avid music fan.
"Though it is a long drive
from the city centre to this
large marshland turned into
a concert venue, we enjoyed
cruising down the airport
road to see our favourite mu-
sicians perform here," says an
excited Caroline Touthang, an
EDM buff. "Away from the res-
idential areas, this is chosen
as a concert spot for interna-
tional shows that can draw a
crowd of more than 10,000 peo-
ple. The large space for
parking is also a welcome fea-
ture since we don't have to
hunt for parking slots too far
away from the venue," Caro-
line adds.
The string of restaurants
and fast food outlets along this
stretch keep the food flowing
on a concert night.
10THE TIMES OF INDIA | BENGALURU | THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 27, 2014
The airport,
pre-commitments
by major
corporates and
plans to upgrade
infrastructure
have spurred
development in
locations along
this route
Sai.Prasanna1
@timesgroup.com
B
ellary Road (NH-7) is
the main arterial road
that connects the
heart of the city to the in-
ternational airport. With the
focus of development shift-
ing to the north with the air-
port and subsequent devel-
opments initiated by the gov-
ernment, the region received
its first significant infra-
structure upgrade. A 22-km
stretch of Bellary Road was
improved by the National
Highways Authority of In-
dia (NHAI) with a six-lane
divided carriageway and an
elevated expressway to fa-
cilitate smooth, signal-free
access to the airport.
Significant infrastructure
developments
The proposed 31-km mono-
rail link from JP Nagar to
north Bengaluru will seam-
lessly link key locations in
the south with the north
The 116-km Peripheral
Ring Road (PRR) will ease
the connectivity between
Hennur Road, Bellary Road
and Old Madras Road
among other arterial roads
As part of Phase II of the
Metro Rail project, a line
connecting Nagawara and
Gottigere has been
planned. On completion of
this, commute time be-
tween Hennur Road to the
southern-most parts of the
city could come down to a
mere 20-30 minutes
According to the Compre-
hensive Development Plan,
the Pipeline Road will cut
through Hennur Road,
Thanisandara Road and
Bellary Road on one side
and will connect to Old
Madras Road on the other
The proposed widening of
Hennur Road from 80 feet
to 120 feet will ease traffic
in this upcoming micro-
market in the north
Investments worth Rs 292
crores have been ear-
marked for the improve-
ment of the stretch of the
Outer Ring Road (ORR)
that connects Hennur to
the far south, east and west
of the city
Drawing interest
from IT majors
With several IT companies
looking at the north to ex-
pand their facilities, this re-
gion is set to turn into an IT
and commercial hub. Promi-
nent and emerging locations
in the region include De-
vanahalli, Doddaballapura
Road and Kogilu Road.
Naveen Nandwani, Exec-
utive Director, Cushman and
Wakefield, says, "Commer-
cial spaces in IT Special Eco-
nomic Zones (SEZs), IT parks
and other categories have
come up in locations around.
Occupiers from sectors such
as IT/ITeS, manufacturing,
consulting etc. have been ac-
tive in occupying space in
the micro-markets here."
According to research by
Cushman and Wakefield,
Bellary Road, Tumkur Road
and Sahakara Nagar togeth-
er house nearly five lakh sqft
of operational office space
currently. North Bengaluru
currently has over 10 million
sqft of Grade-A office space.
More than three million sqft
of supply is under con-
struction currently and is
spread in areas such as Heb-
bal-ORR, Bellary Road and
Thanisandra Road. The un-
der-construction properties
here are expected to be ready
in the next 1-2 years.
Srinivasa Reddy, Associ-
ate Director - Research and
Real Estate Intelligence Ser-
vices, JLL India, says, "There
are some facilities under con-
struction and many pro-
posed projects likely to hit
the market after 2016."
Shabeer Sait, Executive
Head of Operations, Irshad's
Property Matters, explains,
"Approximately two million
sqft of office space is likely
to be developed between Heb-
bal, Bellary Road, Thanisan-
dra and Hennur Road."
Research by Vestian Glob-
al Workplace Solutions re-
veals that Bengaluru north,
until 2013, witnessed activi-
ty from manufacturing and
aerospace companies. This
belt has seen a higher pref-
erence for built-to-suit cam-
puses over leased office
spaces. The region is likely
to see completion of nearly
two million sqft of office
space by the end of the year.
Host of housing options
According to research by
Cushman and Wakefield,
Hebbal and Bellary Road res-
idential markets are char-
acterised by high-end apart-
ments with three and four-
bedroom configurations and
average unit sizes of 1,800-
3,000 sqft and 3,500-5,500 sqft
respectively.
Shabeer Sait says, "While
apartments on Bellary Road
are available in the range of
Rs 7,000-11,500 per sqft, vil-
las fall in the price bracket
of Rs 10,000-15,000 per sqft."
Devanahalli has witnessed
several villa developments
with three and four bedroom
configurations and unit sizes
of 1,800-2,800 sqft and 2,350-
5,500 sqft respectively. The
mid-range residential capi-
tal values lie in the range of
Rs 3,950-5,500 per sqft, while
high-end residential capital
values are in the range of Rs
7,000-9,800 per sqft. Devana-
halli is emerging as a desti-
nation for second homes too.
Access through
Bellary Road and
the planned
integrated
development
projects add to the
potential for
growth in this belt
Sai.Prasanna1
@timesgroup.com
Yelahanka was planned as
a satellite town by the Kar-
nataka Housing Board (KHB)
in the 1970s. It is now a part of
the areas under Bruhat Ben-
galuru Mahanagara Palike
(BBMP). Yelahanka has
evolved and pushed its bound-
aries to form Old Town and
New Town. Additionally, this
region enjoys a location ad-
vantage with proximity to the
airport and Hebbal.
Connectivity
assists growth
Civic infrastructure up-
grades have provided further
thrust to growth in the region.
Shrinivas Rao, CEO - Asia Pa-
cific, Vestian Global Workplace
Solutions, elaborates, "With
the six-lane Bellary Road ele-
vated expressway operational,
travel time to the city and the
airport has reduced consider-
ably, thereby evoking in-
creased realtor interest in the
region. The planned Periph-
eral Ring Road (PRR) will fur-
ther assist connectivity of this
region in the medium to long
terms."
Phase III of the Metro Rail
will connect the south to the
north at Kogilu Road Cross
with stations at key locations
such as Hebbal, Kodigehalli
Gate, Sahakaranagar, Jakkur,
and Yelahanka, facilitating
quick, seamless travel and fu-
elling further growth in the
vicinity.
Shabeer Sait, Executive
Head of Operations, Irshad's
Property Matters, says, "Once
the railway over-bridge from
the Bellary Road highway to
Yelahanka is complete in the
next 8-10 months, it will pro-
vide easy access and do away
with traffic jams."
Development pattern
Research by Vestian Global
Workplace Solutions reveals
that Yelahanka typically com-
prises of industrial and ware-
housing facilities with rentals
for commercial spaces in the
range of Rs 15-20 per sqft per
month. Yelahanka is also in
close proximity to Doddabal-
lapura Industrial Area hous-
ing electrical, electronics, tex-
tiles, construction materials,
precision engineering indus-
tries, and an apparel park com-
prising textile manufacturing
industries. Jointly, these in-
dustrial areas provide em-
ployment to over 25,000 people
with annual growth projected
at 10 percent.
"Its proximity to the airport
has encouraged the develop-
ment of commercial/office
spaces. While the operational
office space is 0.39 million sqft,
it supports a quarterly ab-
sorption between 8-10 percent
and draws relatively high
rentals in the range of Rs 24-
28 per sqft per month. There
are several representative com-
panies presently operating out
of this market," Shrinivas Rao
points out.
Yelahanka is set to witness
a lot of activity in the coming
years. According to Shabeer
Sait, "More commercial activ-
ity is taking place right after
the Hebbal flyover. Around two
million sqft of commercial
space will be complete in the
next three years."
Potential for
residential growth
Situated amidst lakes, prox-
imity to the airport and eco-
nomic hubs, Yelahanka has
considerable potential to be-
come a viable residential op-
tion. This region supports
apartments, villas and plots of
various configurations by re-
puted developers.
Shrinivas Rao explains, "As
Bellary Road gains promi-
nence in terms of commercial
spaces, Yelahanka is antici-
pated to gain more traction in
terms of residential develop-
ments in the short to medium
terms. While presently this re-
gion houses some quality ed-
ucational institutions and
healthcare facilities, there is
ample scope for development
of social infrastructure from
the heightened residential
growth."
Vestian's quarterly research
reveals the average monthly
rentals for apartment devel-
opments to range between Rs
15-20 per sqft while the aver-
age annual capital value ap-
preciation is between 11-18 per-
cent. Capital values for Grade-
A apartments are in the range
of Rs 3,800-6,000 per sqft. Cap-
ital values for Grade-A vil-
las/row houses are priced be-
tween Rs 3, 800-4,500 per sqft
and for plot developments, Rs
1,500-4,500 per sqft.
Shabeer Sait adds, "Apart-
ments are available here from
Rs 50 lakhs up to Rs 3-4 crores.
Villa projects located on Yela-
hanka-Doddaballapura Main
Road, after Rajankunte, are
priced between Rs 1-4 crores."
Retail set to take off
The retail scope of this re-
gion is at a nascent stage with
standalone stores of notable
brands or supermarkets.
Shrinivas Rao says, “There is
ample scope for growth with
1st A Main Road, 16th B Main
Road and 3rd Cross Road rap-
idly engaging retailer interest.
While there is no operational
mall at present, a mall by a re-
puted developer, due to be op-
erational by late 2015, will add
value to the retail market."
YELAHANKA
POTENTIAL FOR RAPID
DEVELOPMENT
BELLARY ROAD
COMMERCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
PUSHING GROWTH
IT’S A LEISURE
HUB TOOThe north is popular for its many resorts, spas and events that draw
enthusiasts from all over the city
I live with my wife and two daughters in a 3-
BHK residential campus linked to
Yelahanka New Town Main Road. Though
this neighbourhood developed slowly, it
has all the amenities close by. I work in a
tech park a few km away and I use the
Kogilu Road to go to my workplace.
I frequently travel out of the country on work and having
the airport only five km away makes travel a real
pleasure. Our daughters' school is only two km away and
the school bus picks them up and drops them home.
Hospitals and clinics have come up around the Rail
Wheel Factory area too.
We find this locality so convenient that we have invested
in a 30x50 feet plot in a gated layout in Rajankunte
nearby.
Ganesh Hegde, Software engineer
Joe Louis D'anto
Joe Louis D’anto
NOTE: The distances mentioned are approximate and taken from the nearest point
to the destination. The property values mentioned are indicative and vary based on
exact location and property attributes.
LOCALITY SNAPSHOT
NOTE: The distances mentioned are approximate and taken from the nearest
point to the destination. The property values mentioned are indicative and vary
based on exact location and property attributes.
LOCALITY SNAPSHOT
WE have been living on new airport road
since 2011. I find it a very convenient
location to live in north Bangalore. It is
about a 30 minutes drive to the main city
and about the same to the airport, thanks
to the new flyover and expressway.
Areas like Sahakaranagar, Hebbal, Jakkur,
and Yelahanka New Township are preferred
locations with excellent new projects with state-of-the-
art infrastructure and facilities. North Bengaluru was our
choice as it had enough good living options, hospitals,
schools and yet a little away from the city to beat the
noise, dust and traffic. It is self-sufficient which means
we do not have to drive distances for groceries etc,
because most stores and quality necessities are
available in north Bengaluru itself.
Property price appreciation in north Bengaluru is
naturally high as the city expands towards the airport.
We have also invested in a home in Yelahanka as we see
tremendous growth in the next few years in north
Bengaluru.
Maithili Roy, Marketing professional
Lumbini Gardens