The building industry is hopeful that the latest set of amendments to Kerala Building Rules (KBR), announced on Thursday, will help stem horizontal urban sprawl, cut red tape and reduce the time now taken for approval of building plans.

Containing the horizontal spread of the city area will help reduce any further damage to the environment from reclamation of precious wetland bodies and paddy fields. Proposals like a single-window clearance of plans will help drastically reduce the time now taken for approvals.