Perumbakkam near Chennai’s IT corridor has become the preferred residential destination for young home seekers. Roads and public transport has improved in Perumbakkam over the years and housing prices here are relatively affordable.

From Chennai’s busy Sholinganallur on the IT Corridor, Assistant Professor Bon Hoffer will soon move to his newly bought flat in the quieter neighbourhood of Perumbakkam. . .a fast developing residential hub in South Chennai. He can now say goodbye to switching two buses and an auto rickshaw and can reach his workplace in Tambaram in just under 20 mins. “Why did I choose this flat? One is it is away from the main road, so it is easier for me to have a peaceful life. Two, the cost, it is just developing so I can afford it. Three, when I look at 10 years from me, everyone is talking of Perumbakkam having its metro station coming here, so by the time, the metro comes in place, I am already there well settled. So it is going to make it easier for me to commute,” says Bon Hoffer.

Perumbakkam owes its increasing popularity for two reasons, low prices and proximity to the IT corridor. Apartments in the region sell at an average starting price of 4000 – 4500 rupees a square foot, making a 1000 square foot 2 bedroom apartment a sub 50 lakh product. Key micro-markets in Perumbakkam include Cheran Nagar, Indirapriyadharshini Nagar and Vengaivasal and developers like Casa Grande, Urban tree and Malles Constructions are some of the big names in the region.

Perumbakkam also has a wide range of products for homebuyers to pick from. “There is this entire diaspora you come across in Perumbakkam, so it is a pick and choose. From middle-management to senior management, you can choose and pick the home that you want. If I want a villa, I can get a villa. If I want a township, I can get a township. If I want a high-rise, I can get a high-rise. So that kind of mixed development that is happening in Perumbakkam, is making it a destination by choice,” says Sarita Hunt, Managing Director, JLL Chennai.

Healthcare, schools and employment oppurtunities add to Perumbakkam’s sheen while connectivity, social infrastructure development, and sewage remain huge challenges. “The pricing is fantastic and otherwise there is good social infrastructure in terms of schools, colleges,, water .Since it is a little away from the corridor, all these social infrastructure like ATMs , hospitals that are emerging could take a little more time than what is currently available. Driving inside this location, in terms of public convenience, needs to be improved, and that’s can happen only with population growth. Those kind of conveniences will still take time to come up, so that’s a conscious call one should take before picking this place,” says Arun Kumar, Managing Director of Casa Grande who has initiated a number of projects in the area.

A few years ago, Perumbakkam was just a large barren land but now townships coming up in this area are a reflection of the changing face of Perumbakkam.

Smitha TK, Reporter, NDTV