DHA Phase 8 · Lahore Cantt
Avenir Developments designs and builds houses and commercial buildings in DHA Phase 8, Lahore: Sectors S to Y, Ivy Green, Ex Park View, Ex Air Avenue, CCA-III and Commercial Broadway. One team takes your plot from the DHA site plan to submission drawings, structural and MEP design, construction, interiors and handover.
This guide is written for Phase 8 plot owners. It sets out which sectors DHA opened for possession in 2026, what the 2026 regulations let you build on a 5 Marla to 2 Kanal plot, what a house costs at Q4 2026 rates, and the two Phase 8 houses we have designed, at 373-V and 24-T.
A-01 · Site context
DHA Lahore publishes Phase 8 as five separate master plan sheets. The split matters when you design, because the plot sizes, the age of the street and the houses beside you change from one sheet to the next.
This page covers DHA Phase 8 in Lahore Cantt, not Phase VIII of DHA Karachi. Ex Park View here is part of DHA Phase 8, not the separate Park View City society.
Master Plan Phase VIII
Master Plan Sector Z, Phase VIII
Ex Park View, Phase VIII
Master Plan Phase VIII (Ex Air Avenue)
Commercial Broadway, Phase VIII
Read it from your plot number
The letter after your plot number is the sector: 373-V is plot 373 in Sector V, and 24-T is plot 24 in Sector T. Ivy Green plots sit in Sectors Z1 to Z6. Sectors A to K belong to Ex Park View unless your notice or site plan says CBW, which marks Commercial Broadway.
To see the plot on DHA’s own map, use the DHA Lahore plot locator, then keep your DHA site plan to hand for every design decision.
Sources: DHA Lahore Phase VIII master plan sheets (main, Sector Z, Ex Air Avenue and Ex Park View, uploaded August 2026; Commercial Broadway, March 2026) on the DHA maps page, and DHA possession notices. A summary of the sheets, not a map.
A-02 · Possession, 2026
Between 7 May and 16 September 2026, DHA Lahore issued 11 possession notices for Phase 8, covering 541 plots: 239 residential and 302 commercial. They are the latest of 65 Phase 8 notices on DHA’s possession page since April 2021.
Four of the 2026 notices say conditional possession without stating the condition. Earlier conditional notices in Phase 8 (Sector T, 28 November 2022; Sector A of Commercial Broadway, 24 April 2025) said electrical work would be completed within one year of the possession letter. Ask DHA what is still outstanding on your street before you set a site start date, because it decides whether you need temporary power to build.
DHA levies no non-construction penalty within three years of opening possession, and its regulations expect construction to start inside that period (Regs 13(e) and 17(a)). A buyer inside the three years has until the later of the three years or 24 months from transfer. Ask DHA how it dates the clock on a conditional-possession plot. DHA’s own published steps (site plan, scrutiny, demarcation) take about seven working weeks on top of design time, so start the design in the first year.
Source: DHA Lahore possession notices for Phase VIII dated 7 May to 16 September 2026, listed on the DHA possession page and read on 28 September 2026. Plot numbers are listed in each notice.
Next step
Send us your sector, plot number and size to start the design conversation: your brief, the basement decision, and the levels your house needs on a street with no neighbours yet. Design and DHA approval can run while the three-year window is still young.
Opens WhatsApp with your plot details ready to fill in
A-03 · Building envelope
Phase 8 follows the DHA Construction and Development Regulations 2014, in the 2026 Building Control edition published on dhalahore.org. The rules are the same across DHA Lahore; what changes in Phase 8 is the plot mix. These are the maximum envelopes for a standard rectangular plot of each size found in Phase 8’s recent notices.
In Phase 8: Sectors S, T, U, V, X, D, G and Ivy Green. A pool is permitted from 1 Kanal.
In Phase 8: Sectors U, X, Y, G and Ivy Green Z3. The 2026 table prints one side clear space for 10 Marla and smaller plots; if Building Control asks for both sides, the ground floor falls to about 1,185 sq ft.
In Phase 8: Ivy Green Z3, Z4 and Z5, and Sectors X and Y. The table prints one side clear space here too; with both sides the ground floor is about 703 sq ft. No pool below 1 Kanal.
In Phase 8: Sector T and the Ivy Green sheet. A 100 × 90 ft 2 Kanal plot takes a 15 ft 9 in front clear space instead.
Gross areas for a standard rectangular plot, before walls, stairs and the porch, from Regulations 22, 27 and 33. Your DHA site plan gives your plot’s actual dimensions.
| Rule | What the 2026 regulations say | What it means for your design |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 39 ft from the crown of the road, including mumtee and parapet; 32 ft without them; no second floor (Reg 23(a)) | A Phase 8 house is ground floor, first floor and mumtee. Extra space comes from the basement and from using the full first-floor allowance. |
| First floor | 100% of the ground floor on 5 Marla, 82% on 7 to 10 Marla, 80% on 1 Kanal, 78% on 2 to 4 Kanal (Reg 27(a)(3)) | On a 1 Kanal plot about 540 sq ft of ground-floor roof stays open. Plan it as a terrace off the family lounge or bedrooms, not as leftover roof. |
| Basement | Single storey; ceiling 9 to 14 ft; excavation no deeper than 12 ft including foundation, measured from the road crown; 5 ft back from a neighbour’s dead wall (Regs 27(a)(1), 32(c) and 35) | Decide it before concept design. The basement fixes the plinth, the ramp, the sunken court and the structure. |
| Plinth and ramp | Plinth 1 ft 6 in to 3 ft 6 in above the road crown, up to 5 ft 6 in on 1 Kanal and above; 3 ft 6 in with a basement up to 10 Marla; ramp and clear spaces no more than 12 in above the crown (Regs 28 and 35) | On a new street, take every level from the road crown on your site plan, not from an empty neighbouring plot. |
| Floor heights | Living rooms at least 9 ft 6 in; no floor above 18 ft; one inter-floor from 9 Marla to 1 Kanal and two from 2 Kanal, each at least 8 ft clear and no more than 40% of the living space (Reg 32) | A double-height lobby spans the ground and first floors instead of raising either. An inter-floor cannot hold a bath, kitchen, store, dressing room or wardrobe. |
| Mumtee | 175 sq ft up to 10 Marla; 300 sq ft from 1 to 4 Kanal; lift machine room 75 sq ft, up to 45 ft (Reg 33(a)) | Size the stair and any lift early. Storage is allowed inside the mumtee; living space is not. |
| Swimming pool | Not on plots under 1 Kanal and never on the roof; 10 ft privacy wall (Reg 34) | Ivy Green’s 5 and 10 Marla plots cannot take a pool. The pool at 373-V works because it sits on a 1 Kanal plot. |
| Services and security | Two CCTV cameras at the ends of the front wall, a third on corner plots (Reg 66); generator up to 25 KVA, kept out of rear and side clear spaces (Reg 58); solar only by PPIB-authorised vendors, upper edge up to 10 ft above the roof on 1 Kanal and above, 12 ft on 5 to 10 Marla (Reg 67) | Show camera points, the generator position and the solar frame on the drawings, so the roof, parapet and electrical design are done once. |
Many Phase 8 plots carry sub-divided numbers. The 2026 notices alone list 554/1 to 554/11, 594/1 to 594/8 and 601/1 to 605/1 in Sector U, 531/13 to 531/16 in Sector Y and 741/5 and 741/14 in Ivy Green Z3; earlier Sector X notices list 1025/1 to 1025/42. Design from the dimensions on your DHA site plan. For odd-shaped plots, Regulation 22(b) lets the clear space be kept in total rather than as an even strip, but no side can be narrower than 3 ft 9 in. On a corner plot that fronts its longer side, the front clear space applies to both road sides (Reg 22(c)).
Every clear space, porch, fire safety and violation rule is set out in our guide to the DHA Lahore building byelaws and map approval.
A-04 · Designing for Phase 8
The regulations are DHA-wide. These five conditions come from Phase 8’s own map sheets and notices, and each one changes a decision in the drawings.
Regulation 61 applies to DHA areas next to the civil airport, and the main Phase VIII and Ex Park View sheets show Allama Iqbal International Airport along their edge. To reduce the risk of bird strikes, it prohibits keeping birds or pets on the roof, spreading food there, and building roosting or breeding facilities, which rules out a rooftop pigeon loft. Ask Building Control whether it covers your sector before you plan the roof.
Plan the roof as a green roof instead. Regulation 65 allows plants up to 4 ft, a lightweight semi-open shade up to 9 ft high and 150 sq ft, and a water feature up to 18 in deep, with an undertaking that the neighbours’ privacy is protected.
The Ivy Green sheet marks 220 kV and 132 kV lines, and the main Phase VIII sheet marks a 132 kV line with a note that a safe distance is required to LESCO’s specification. If your plot faces or backs onto one of these corridors, confirm the clearance with LESCO before you fix roof levels, the solar frame or anything built on the roof.
On streets opened in 2026 there may be no finished house to take levels from. DHA’s demarcation papers ask for an undertaking of your own water supply arrangements and for material to be stacked inside your plot, and a septic tank and temporary lavatory must be ready before the field staff visit. Demarcation lapses after one month if work has not started.
The first builder may build a 9-inch boundary wall using 4½ inches of the neighbouring plot (Reg 29(a)). Fix wall, gate, ramp and surface-water channel levels against the road crown on your site plan.
The Phase 8 sheets show the Khaira Distributary, the Rohi Nullah, the Charrar Drain and the BRB Canal along the edges of different areas. DHA asks for an original soil test report with your drawings, valid for one year, and its step guide specifies the DHA Material Testing Lab. Ask for bearing capacity and groundwater level: they set the foundation, the basement waterproofing and whether dewatering is needed.
Excavation must not endanger neighbouring buildings, and using an excavator needs DHA’s prior permission and a refundable security deposit.
Plots in Ex Park View and in the Sector S, T and V streets DHA has opened since 2021 can sit between finished houses. Demolishing an old house needs DHA’s prior approval and a professional engineer’s supervision, and any structural change needs revised drawings before work starts.
A basement beside an occupied house needs an excavation and shoring method that protects the neighbour’s foundations; DHA asks for a method of basement construction at demarcation.
Commercial plots
DHA opened 302 commercial plots in CCA-III on 16 September 2026, on conditional possession, and Commercial Broadway carries 4, 8 and 10 Marla commercial plots. For Phase V onward, the 2026 regulations set these limits.
| Plot | Maximum height | Floors |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Marla | 74 ft / 78 ft | Basement, ground, mezzanine and 4 floors |
| 8 Marla | 74 ft / 78 ft | Basement, ground, mezzanine and 4 floors |
| 16 Marla | 74 ft / 78 ft; 100 ft on corner plots | Up to 4 floors above the mezzanine; 6 on corner plots |
A-05 · Our work in Phase 8
Two Phase 8 houses are on our project pages, one in Sector V and one in Sector T. Both show the regulations above turning into a plan.
373-V3D VISUALISATIONThe basement adds the space a ground-plus-one house cannot gain upward under the 39 ft limit, and the pool is possible because the plot is a full Kanal.
View the 373-V project
24-T3D VISUALISATIONLayered planes and controlled openings cut glare on the street face while keeping the rooms bright, and the guest wing stays separate from the private bedrooms.
View the 24-T project
Next step
Send your sector, plot number and size, and tell us three things: how many bedrooms, whether you want a basement, and the specification you are budgeting for. That is enough for a first conversation about your design and what it will take to build.
Discuss a Similar HouseA-06 · Cost, Q4 2026
These planning figures come from Avenir’s house construction cost calculator, run on 28 September 2026 for a complete house (grey structure plus finishing) in DHA Lahore at typical design complexity, using the envelopes above. The calculator prices DHA Lahore above the Lahore average for DHA’s stricter compliance and mandatory systems.
| Plot | Covered area used | Standard specification | Planning range | Other specifications | Avenir’s typical build time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Marla | about 1,800 sq ft | PKR 1.38 Cr | 1.31 to 1.45 Cr | 5 to 6 months | |
| 10 Marla | about 2,810 sq ft | PKR 2.21 Cr | 2.10 to 2.32 Cr | Premium 2.95 Cr | 6 to 7 months |
| 1 Kanal | about 5,170 sq ft | PKR 4.11 Cr | 3.90 to 4.31 Cr | Essential 3.56 Cr, Premium 5.48 Cr, Luxury 7.37 Cr | 11 to 12 months |
| 1 Kanal with basement | about 7,870 sq ft, including a 2,700 sq ft basement | PKR 6.54 Cr | 6.21 to 6.87 Cr | Premium 8.57 Cr | Longer: excavation, retaining walls and waterproofing come first |
| 2 Kanal | about 10,690 sq ft | PKR 8.89 Cr | 8.44 to 9.33 Cr | Premium 11.86 Cr | 15 to 16 months |
DHA Lahore rates, Q4 2026. Grey structure alone is PKR 3,180 to 4,240 per sq ft and basement construction PKR 4,240 to 4,980. The calculator adjusts the rate for house size and treats a house with a basement as a larger house, so its totals are not a straight area multiplied by rate. Build times are Avenir’s own durations from site start to handover.
Scrutiny is Rs 6 per sq ft plus Rs 2 fire safety, Rs 1 MEP and Rs 1 S.D; on a 5,170 sq ft house that is about Rs 51,700. DHA Building Control services page, checked 28 September 2026.
Planning estimates, not a quotation. Final cost depends on your drawings, soil, specification, quantities and prices at the time of procurement.
A-07 · Sequence
This is the Phase 8 sequence as DHA publishes it, with what Avenir does at each step.
Apply with two possession forms, the allotment letter and your CNIC. DHA’s step guide gives 8 working days for a site plan in Phases VIII and IX. The site plan charge is Rs 5,250.
Brief, a check of your plot against the site plan dimensions, the envelope study and the basement decision.
Commission the soil test. DHA wants the original report with your drawings, valid for one year.
Space planning, elevations, 3D views and material direction, then structural and MEP design coordinated with the architecture.
Architectural drawings on tracing cloth with ammonia prints and an AutoCAD copy, structural, MEP and fire drawings, stability certificates, 3D views and the site plan (Reg 14). The regulations allow 21 working days for scrutiny (the step guide says 20); if drawings come back, the period restarts on resubmission (Reg 16). Approved drawings stay valid for two years (Reg 17(c)).
Prepares the submission set to the 2026 regulations and answers DHA’s observations.
After approval: the demarcation booklet, a finance NOC, the possession charges challan, and undertakings for water supply and material stacking; for a basement, a method statement and an excavation undertaking. DHA publishes 5 working days in its step guide and 7 days on its services page. Demarcation is valid for one month if work does not start.
Site set-up, septic tank and temporary lavatory, excavation plan, BOQ and procurement.
DHA verifies five stages: layout, DPC level, the first floor raised 1 ft above the ground-floor roof slab, post grey structure, and final completion (Reg 18). The house must be completed within two years of drawing approval (Reg 17(b)).
Construction with stage sign-offs for structure, waterproofing, MEP and finishes, and your written approval of any variation’s cost and time before work continues.
Water (Rs 10,000) and sewer (Rs 5,000) connections once finishing is complete without violations. The regulations say the completion certificate is normally issued within 20 days (DHA’s services page gives 21 working days and Rs 7,000), and it must be obtained within three years of approval (Reg 48).
Handover, as-built documents and the elevation photographs DHA asks for.
DHA’s step guide says all applications can be submitted online at eservices.dhalahore.org; the regulations still call for physical drawing sets and for approved documents to be collected in person or through an attorney (Regs 14 and 16(e)). Sources: DHA “Steps for Building Construction in DHA Lahore” (ref 4422046), DHA demarcation checklist (ref 4422005) and the 2026 regulations.
A-08 · Who does what
People search for “DHA approved builders” and “DHA approved architects”. DHA Lahore approves drawings, registers professionals and enlists vendors; it does not approve companies as design-and-build firms. This table shows what each requirement or list covers, so you can check whoever you appoint.
| Role | What DHA requires | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Architect | House drawings must be signed by a registered architect, meaning registered with the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners and with DHA (Definition 76, Reg 15). The architect certifies that all components were designed by them (Reg 15(s)). | DHA’s updated list of approved architect firms: 126 firms, the latest enlisted on 15 June 2026. |
| Structural engineer | A structural stability certificate from a registered structural engineer (Reg 15(t)), registered with the Pakistan Engineering Council (Definition 36). | DHA structural engineers list, file dated February 2026. |
| MEP engineer | MEP drawings with the electrical and mechanical engineers’ certificates (Reg 14), plus the MEP structure stability certificate DHA’s services page lists for submissions. | DHA MEP firms list, file dated February 2026. |
| Soil testing | An original soil test report with the drawings, valid for one year (Reg 14(p)). | DHA’s step guide specifies the DHA Material Testing Lab. |
| Solar vendor | Supply and installation only by vendors authorised by the Private Power and Infrastructure Board, with a structure stability certificate against wind (Reg 67). | DHA solar companies list, file dated April 2026. |
| Contractor | DHA publishes a contractor enlistment form. Supervision and quality assurance remain the owner’s responsibility, with the architects and engineers they appoint (Reg 45). | Ask any builder for its DHA enlistment and who supervises on site. |
| Property dealer | DHA’s registered property dealers list covers buying and selling plots, not design or construction. | DHA registered property dealers list. |
All lists and forms are on DHA Lahore’s Building Control Forms page, checked 28 September 2026.
Where Avenir fits. Avenir Developments provides architecture, interior design, construction and Design + Build for Phase 8 projects, with the architectural, structural and MEP drawings coordinated with the construction team from the first sketch. Tell us what you already have in place, and we will work around it.
How Design + Build WorksNext step
Pick the stage you are at. Each option opens WhatsApp with a message that tells our team where to start.
A-09 · Owners abroad
If you own a Phase 8 plot and live in the UK, the Gulf or North America, DHA’s procedures let the work go ahead without you in Lahore. What you need from your team is evidence at every stage.
A-10 · Drawing notes
Each of these is specific to how Phase 8 is being handed over and built in 2026.
A-11 · Questions
Between 7 May and 16 September 2026 DHA Lahore issued 11 Phase 8 notices covering 541 plots: 1 Kanal plots in Sectors U, D (Ex Park View), V and S; 10 Marla in Sector Y, Sector U and Ivy Green Z3; 5 Marla in Ivy Green Z3, Z4 and Z5 and Sector Y; and 302 commercial plots in CCA-III. The Sector D, 11 August Sector Y, 15 September Sector U and CCA-III notices were conditional possession.
It usually means DHA hands over plots while some development work, such as electrification, is still being completed. The 2026 notices do not state the condition; earlier Phase 8 conditional notices said electrical work would be completed within one year of the possession letter. You can take possession, get your site plan (8 working days for Phase 8 in DHA’s step guide) and start design. Ask DHA what remains on your street before you fix a construction start date.
DHA levies no non-construction penalty within three years of the date it opens possession, and its regulations expect construction to start inside that period. If you bought within those three years, you have until the later of the three years or 24 months from your transfer; if you bought after them, you have a 24-month grace period. Once drawings are approved, the house must be completed within two years.
On a standard 50 × 90 ft plot, about 2,703 sq ft of ground floor after clear spaces of 15 ft 9 in at the front and 5 ft 4½ in at the rear and both sides, a first floor of about 2,163 sq ft (80%), and a 300 sq ft mumtee: about 5,170 sq ft above ground. A single basement of up to about 2,700 sq ft is allowed. Height is capped at 39 ft from the road crown, and a second floor is not permitted.
Yes. DHA allows a single-storey basement in residential areas, with the ground-floor plinth at 3 ft 6 in above the road crown on plots up to 10 Marla. The basement ceiling must be 9 to 14 ft and excavation no deeper than 12 ft including the foundation. You will need a soil test report, a method of basement construction at demarcation, and DHA’s permission before an excavator is used.
Plan on no. Regulation 61 applies to DHA areas next to the civil airport, and the main Phase VIII and Ex Park View map sheets run along the airport. It prohibits keeping birds or pets on the roof, spreading food there, and building roosting or breeding facilities, to reduce the risk of bird strikes. Confirm with DHA Building Control whether it covers your sector. A green roof within Regulation 65’s limits is allowed.
No. DHA does not permit a swimming pool on residential plots under 1 Kanal, and never on the roof. On a 1 Kanal plot or larger a pool is allowed, with a 10 ft privacy wall or another arrangement DHA directs.
At Q4 2026 DHA Lahore rates, a complete 1 Kanal house of about 5,170 sq ft plans at PKR 4.11 crore at Standard specification (range 3.90 to 4.31 crore), 3.56 crore at Essential, 5.48 crore at Premium and 7.37 crore at Luxury. With a 2,700 sq ft basement, the Standard figure is about PKR 6.54 crore. These are planning figures from Avenir’s cost calculator, not a quotation.
DHA’s regulations allow 21 working days to scrutinise drawings (its step guide says 20), and the period restarts if drawings are returned and resubmitted. Before that, a Phase 8 site plan takes 8 working days; after approval, demarcation takes about a week.
DHA requires house drawings to be signed by a registered architect, meaning one registered with PCATP and with DHA, and a structural stability certificate from a registered structural engineer. It publishes lists of approved architect firms, structural engineers, MEP firms and solar companies, and an enlistment form for contractors. It does not approve design-and-build companies as a category, so check each professional against DHA’s current list for the role they will perform.
Yes. Avenir Developments provides architecture, interior design, construction and Design + Build for projects across DHA Phase 8, Lahore, from its office at 139 CCA, Sector C, DHA Phase 5. Its Phase 8 project pages show a 1 Kanal house at 373-V and a 2 Kanal house at 24-T.
Yes. DHA’s special power of attorney lets a person you appoint submit applications, pay charges and undertake construction for you (Reg 63), and the attorney can sign the demarcation booklet. DHA’s step guide says applications can be submitted online at eservices.dhalahore.org, while physical drawing sets and approved documents go through you or your attorney.
For Phase V onward, DHA’s 2026 regulations allow 4 and 8 Marla commercial buildings of 74 ft / 78 ft with a basement, ground floor, mezzanine and four floors. The basement and upper floors can cover 100% of the plot and the mezzanine 75% of the shop area, and the top two floors can become apartments with DHA’s approval. The 2026 height table does not list 2 or 10 Marla plots, so confirm their height with DHA before design.
A-12 · Related
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Sources for this page: DHA Lahore possession notices for Phase VIII (2021 to 2026); DHA Phase VIII master plan sheets; the DHA Construction and Development Regulations 2014, 2026 edition; DHA’s step guide (ref 4422046), demarcation checklist (ref 4422005) and Building Control services page; Avenir’s house construction cost calculator (Q4 2026 rates). All read on 28 September 2026.