Supreme Court Approves Mumbai Coastal Road Seafront Plan: 85% to Remain Public Space
The Supreme Court has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to consider Reliance Industries’ master layout plan for the 130-acre seafront public space along the Mumbai Coastal Road South project. This decision clears a significant procedural hurdle that had delayed the development of recreational and public amenities on the reclaimed waterfront land. The order was issued in response to an application filed by Reliance Industries, which had sought clarity after approval of its revised layout plan remained pending.
The reclaimed land, part of the Coastal Road South project, is expected to become one of Mumbai’s largest public waterfront open spaces. Reliance Industries was appointed by the BMC in 2025 to undertake landscaping and long-term maintenance of the area under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. The company had informed the court that uncertainty over approvals for ancillary and ticketed activities had slowed progress on the project.
A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Atul S. Chandurkar observed that although the BMC’s landscaping committee had discussed the revised layout plan, the matter had not moved forward due to concerns regarding the need for the Supreme Court’s approval. The court subsequently directed the civic body to evaluate the master layout plan in accordance with its earlier orders issued in January this year.
During the proceedings, Reliance stated that most of the reclaimed land would remain open and freely accessible to the public. The company informed the court that promenades, parks, gardens, jogging tracks, cycle paths, and recreational spaces would form the core of the development. It also indicated that a limited portion of the site would include ticketed attractions intended to support operational and maintenance expenses. The Supreme Court recorded the company’s assurance that such attractions would be restricted to a maximum of 15% of the total area.
According to BMC officials, the court’s direction is expected to facilitate decisions on ancillary amenities that had remained pending while legal clarity was awaited. These facilities are expected to include public-use infrastructure and services associated with the broader waterfront development.
The latest order follows the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year on a public interest litigation challenging the involvement of private entities in landscaping and maintaining the reclaimed land. At that time, the court reaffirmed that the reclaimed area must ordinarily remain accessible to the public and explicitly prohibited residential or commercial development for sale or lease on the site. The bench had observed that strategic development for beautification and ecological enhancement could proceed, provided the land continued to serve public use.
Work linked to the project has already begun, including preparatory landscaping activities and the development of a nursery in Worli. Once completed, the waterfront is expected to comprise a network of open spaces, gardens, promenades, and recreational facilities integrated with the Coastal Road corridor.
