The first-phase redevelopment of Shanthipuram Colony, housing 197 families in Division 44 of the Kochi Corporation, is set to get under way soon.

The project will follow the concept of Pocket Homes, an innovative social housing project designed to optimise space and foster community engagement along a linear axis. Unlike conventional housing layouts, Pocket Homes utilise the linear axis by pushing houses inward alternatively creating pockets of spaces along the street to maximise land utilisation and promote social interaction.

The Shanthipuram Colony redevelopment plan drawn up by Architect Engineering College of Asadi Group proposes blocks of eight houses at the rate of four houses on three cents each, with each family having title deeds for 0.75 cents. The existing houses, which are more than four decades old, remain rickety and stand cheek by jowl.

“Giving them [residents] safe housing has been a long-term goal of the Corporation and was declared in our budget. Each house entails a cost of ₹10 lakh, though the Corporation cannot provide more than ₹4 lakh to each family under the Life Mission. Neither could we use other funds for the purpose. Finding the remaining ₹6 lakh for each has been the challenge before the Corporation,” said Mayor M. Anilkumar.

Bharat Petroleum Limited-Kochi Refinery and Shobha Group had pledged corporate social responsibility funds of ₹1 crore and ₹50 lakh respectively following which the first phase of redevelopment was announced.

Division councillor George Nanatt, who has been at the forefront of the redevelopment of the colony, said that in the initial phase, 16 houses would be completed in the next three to six months to convince the beneficiaries that the project was indeed up and running.

“The major hurdle is that most families have pawned their 0.75 cents for a few lakhs and are not in a position to immediately repay the loan and retrieve the title deeds. The construction cannot be launched unless the title deeds are available either. So, to kick-start the project, houses will be built on land of which the title deeds are available,” he said.