The Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, on Wednesday, sealed 20 buildings at various stages of completion in Isheri-North GRA due to inability of the owners to produce approved Planning Permits on demand as stipulated in the guidelines issued by the Ministry.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako said the buildings were sealed during a routine compliance monitoring exercise, recalling that the State Government had repeatedly warned that it would not condone illegal building construction as they are inimical to orderly and sustainable development of the State.
“I wish to emphasise that owners and developers should ensure they apply and obtain Planning Permits before construction, make recourse to the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) for stage certification to certify the building as safe, complete and habitable”, Salako said.
The Commissioner enjoined stakeholders and professionals in the built environment not to view the requirement for Planning Permits from the revenue angle alone, but to see the merit of safety, orderliness and an organised setting engendered by compliance with the Planning Laws of the State, in addition to the prevention of building collapse.
Salako reiterated the need for all property owners or developers to make their Planning Permits available on demand as operatives of the Ministry would continuously monitor all building construction sites and request for the enabling permit issued by the State Government, through the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA).
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Mr. Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, who also participated in the monitoring exercise, said that the Lagos State Government had taken all necessary steps to further ease the process and timeline for approvals, adding that the 28 days earlier promised for obtaining Planning Permits remains sacrosanct.
He affirmed that the State had upgraded and stabilised the Electronic Planning Permit (EPP) platform for processing approvals, saying that members of the public can utilise the medium to ease the process.
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