The Lagos State Government said it will start publishing planning permit contravention notices served on buildings, as part of efforts to create adequate public awareness and tackle issues of denial by residents.
Nairametrics gathered that this was disclosed by the General Manager of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), Mr. Kehinde Osinaike, during an interview on Wednesday in Lagos.
Osinaike said that even though the agency’s massive public awareness campaigns on voluntary compliance have yielded positive results, the government would still take the extra step to publish planning permit infraction notices for efficiency.
Note that the move by the government is coming against the backdrop of planning permit violators who often ignore the government’s order to “stop work” while continuing with their construction activities.
The plan by the state government is part of efforts to curb the rising incidents of tragic building collapse across the state.
What the General Manager of LASPPPA is saying
Osinaike said there are numerous cases where property owners claim that they are not aware of service of planning permit contravention notices whenever it was time to take responsibility for their actions or inactions against the law. He said:
- “This government is committed to transparency and accountability; we are not hiding anything from the public. The whole essence of publishing all buildings that were served one form of notice or the other is to ensure that we are transparent in all we are doing and we are straightforward.
- “We want the public to be aware that that particular building is in contravention of the town planning regulations.
- “What we expect at that point after the publication is for the owner to quickly try to rectify as much as possible whatever infractions that have been committed hitherto; we have witnessed situations where people deny that they have not been served notices before our enforcement exercise.’’
He further explained that the notices would be in the form of an invitation for property owners or developers to come forward to dispute or agree with the agency on the notices toward an amicable resolution of issues to prevent sanctions.
He said that based on such interactions, information gaps could be addressed to prevent further acts of enforcement officers or prompt them into the implementation of the laws.
Notices to be published on LASPPPA website, social media
The LASPPPA boss noted that the notices would be published on LASPPPA’s website and all its social media handles after they had been served on the property owners or developers.
He said quit, seal, stop work, demolition or other forms of notices would be published, but the agency had extended time for action beyond the 48 to 72 hours stipulated by law.
Osinaike explained that the extension could last for weeks or months, depending on the type of notice, to accommodate stakeholders who for one reason or another did not have access to the information on time.
What you should know
- Lagos State Government has been on a sensitization drive across the state urging property owners and developers to obtain planning permits from the relevant state authority before embarking on physical development and construction activities.
- This is to help bring about a safe and serene environment for residents, with the process simplified and made seamless.
- The state government had at some point through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development embarked on the on-site inspection of planning permits tagged “Operation Show Your Planning Permit”.
