Living in peace in the suburbs
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The love for suburban living is fast spreading among all classes of people. BIJU GOVIND says some are shifting from city areas to the outskirts.
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— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup
Less confining: A house on Florican Road, away from the heart of Kozhikode city.
Suburbs let you live in peace, with more space and an atmosphere less confining. People who prefer to live in sprawling environs and spacious houses, rather than in high-rise flats, thus prefer to buy a place on the outskirts of the city. The love for suburban living is fast spreading among all classes of people, both young and old.
Chalappuram has been one of the most favoured residential areas in Kozhikode city for two decades. Professionals love to own a house in this locality, just 1.5 km each from the railway station and the bus station. Doctors, engineers and advocates find it convenient for their practice.
However, of late, some have been shifting from there to the outskirts.
“One of the reasons is the overcrowded neighbourhood. Another is air and sound pollution even during night hours. Besides, there are traffic hold-ups in the area,” says K.T. Gopikrishnan, who has been living there for 29 years and is now shifting to a villa on Florican Road, 7.5 km from the railway station and 5.5 km from the bus station.
“Our new place will be away from the city but certainly we will have the facilities of the city. The semi-rural ambience is an advantage,” he says. “If you possess a vehicle, you can shift to anywhere within a radius of 10 km in the city.”
His father, T.P. Aravindakshan Menon, an advocate, is planning to convert the house at Chalappuram into his office. Now, the family will have comfortable living. They have been living in the posh area for more than 25 years, he says, adding that residents of Chalappuram have a healthy camaraderie on account of the strong presence of the residential association.
T.K. Ramachandran, a retired engineer, has shifted from there to Kakkodi. T.P. Haridas has shifted to Cherupa.
Land prices have skyrocketed in the area, with a cent (40.5 sq m) commanding Rs.8 lakh to Rs.10 lakh. So, people have shifted to places such as Kokkodi and Kunnathuparambu, where land prices are not so high. “The residents got value for their money,” Mr. Menon says.
The property boom saw people going for homes in the north-eastern side of the city.
The growing preference for suburban living has prompted many prominent builders to go for projects in these areas. Landmark Builders are on the verge of completing two projects, Silver Garden Apartments and Silver Garden Villas, at Paroppady. The company has launched Highland Villas off Mavoor Road.
The completed projects are located between Paroppady junction on the Wayanad Road and at Kannadikkal, having a rural surrounding. The villas and apartments offer standard facilities. Provision has been made for well water and Kerala Water Authority connection.
Another company, Cubix Builders, founded by alumni of the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, has come up with projects at Vellimadukunnu, in the north-eastern part of the city. The project includes villas, apartments and value villas. It also has a project, Exclusive Enclave, near the civil station.
Good Earth Homes, which goes by the theme “green homes,” has a project at Florican Hill. The project has come up on 50 cents (2,025 sq m) of land near Malaparamba, close to the Providence Women’s College. The project offers the calmness of a residential suburb and, at the same time, proximity to the city. It has good road connectivity. There are amenities such as schools, malls and hospitals.
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