Lagos reforming physical planning to boost services
Muyiwa Lucas
Lagos State has said it will institute reforms to boost physical planning and instil public confidence as part of the ease of doing business.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Dr. Idris Salako, spoke at the ministerial press briefing to mark the first year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, at the JJT Park in Alausa.
He announced the inauguration of a Lagos State Physical Planning and Building Control Appeals Committee (an ombudsman), to address petitions on contraventions of urban development laws, and a Lagos State Physical Planning and Building Control Regulations 2019, to serve as framework for operations of Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) and Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).
The commissioner said with the devolution of Planning Permit Approval Powers, more district offices would be created to fast-track the approval processes and enhance the ease of doing business.
Salako noted that digitisation process in the ministry and agencies was geared toward the adoption of electronic technology to improve performance.
He said: “The ministry has received and is currently considering proposals for the application of change detection technology, Geo Satellite Images and data for monitoring and tracking changes in developmental activities with a view to detecting and discouraging illegal development”.
The commissioner noted that the reforms, intended to help the ministry and its agencies achieve sustainability of the environment, were already assisting in the delivery of the mandate of the ministry, especially in issuing planning permits, regulatory and other activities.
To further enhance the Ease of Doing Business in Lagos, the government, he said, had rejuvenated the Electronic Planning Permit (EPP) platform and received 232 applications through the platform in the last 365 days.
Salako explained that the ministry, through LASPPPA, granted 2,366 approvals for ”commercial, mixed use, institutional and hotel, agricultural, among others”
Listing some of its scorecard, he noted that the ministry facilitated the Lagos Island Revitalisation project by clearing and delivering to the Ministry of Health the site for a health facility on Adeniji-Adele Road, in addition to clearing and delivering the old Jankara Market for other state projects.
According to the commissioner, the Lagos Island Revitalisation project was to address the issue of over-stretched basic infrastructural facilities and reposition its socio-economic status and enhance environmental sustainability.
Salako announced that the ministry’s regulatory activities were on course as 14,505 enforcement notices were served on distressed structures and illegal and non-conforming structures.
His words: “… the ministry and its agencies identified 8,428 ongoing building construction, 543 distressed building and served 2,360 existing building construction with Post Construction Audit (PCA) requests.
“… issued 13 certificates of completeness and fitness for habitation and unsealed 629 properties due to enforcement and compliance”.
Salako said to guarantee the stability and integrity of structures and prevent building collapse, the ministry, through the Materials Testing Laboratory, carried out 54 Geo-technic tests, 41 water tests, 2,302 concrete tests, 1,391 steel test, 25 stanchions test and 75 per cent points of pile.
“We Identified 182 buildings for re-engineering and served 80 private schools, 100 commercial buildings, 28 bank head offices and the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas notices for stability and integrity tests,” he said.