Chennai: The interest in plots is going south and west – beyond the city’s core. Metro connectivity, industrial corridor development, arterial road development (Outer Ring Road expansion and upcoming Peripheral Ring Road), coupled with relatively affordable price points, are creating new growth corridors. Developers said that there is a 50 % growth in the size of plots purchased by customers – mainly IT employees.According to Colliers’ Homebuying Sentiment Survey 2026, the strong preference for plots stands out in the city-wise property-type data. Among the respondents surveyed, plots/land accounted for 90% of preferences, compared with 10% for 2/2.5-BHK apartments.Developers said that suburban and peripheral locations continue to offer contiguous land parcels allowing developers to cater to the growing demand beyond apartment projects. Residential activity is supported by ongoing infrastructure upgrades, enhancing connectivity and improving social amenities.In the North aras such as Madhavaram, Ponneri, Minjur, in the south – Padur, Kelamabakkam, Mambakkam, Guduvanchery, Vandalur and West localities including Sriperumbudur, Thirumazhisai, Kuthambakkam are seeing good traction.“In the south, localities benefit from their proximity to key office micro-markets along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) stretch, Pallavaram Thoraipakkam Road (PTR), and Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road. Industrial and logistics growth are supporting large-scale township projects, planned developments, and middle-income housing in western and northern peripheral areas such as Sriperumbudur, Oragadam, and surrounding localities. Madhavaram in the northern part of the city is also one of the prominent Transit-oriented Development (TOD) nodes in the upcoming Chennai Metro Phase II project,” said Vimal Nadar, National Director and Head of Research, Colliers India.Viswajit Naveen, Managing Director of Navin’s, said that there is a 50 % increase in the size of plots. “Earlier, many used to buy in 600 sqft plots as an investment, but weren’t able to build a proper house due to size constraints. Now many are opting for 1,500 sqft so that they can construct a house with some frontage,” he explained.Meanwhile, apartments are also seeing good traction. According to Anarock’s H1 2026 Real Estate Homebuyer Survey, Chennai homebuyers are preferring 3BHKs. Chennai is among the markets where 3BHK demand crossed 50%, highlighting the continued preference for spacious homes. Developer credibility, timely delivery, construction quality and customer reputation have emerged as key considerations, particularly as buyers increasingly enter projects at the launch stage.
