Lagos tasks officials, public on urban renewal scheme

CONVINCED of the positive impacts urban renewal scheme would have on the state and the entire real estate sector, Lagos state government has expressed its determination to ensure the Lagos Island Central Business District (CBD) and environs are fully regenerated.

The state has also pledged to upgrade infrastructure in semi-urban communities such as Badagry, Agbara, Epe and Ikorodu and to strengthen agencies involved in urban renewal and urban redevelopment such as Lagos State Urban renewal authority (LASURA), Lagos Physical Planning and Urban Renewal Agency.

It was learnt the government is considering a long-term plan to ease Apapa traffic, by relocating all the farm tanks to Ibeju-Lekki. This is in collaboration with Dangote Nigeria Limited, who planned to construct farms in the axis.

“But before this is materialize, sufficient plans must be made, hence, the need to increase infrastructure development in the axis”, said the Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Bade Adebowale, an engineer, during a press briefing last week.

Part of the infrastructure planned for the community include, road construction and expansion, drainage facilities, upgrading of market places and increase water supply.
Besides, its been envisaged that urban regeneration would likely take precedence, by which adjoining roads to the community would be upgraded.

Under the Lagos Island redevelopment, especially Isalegangan and Ojo-Giwa areas, the projects through regeneration initiative, brought property owners together to pool their landed properties for redevelopment and now known as Isalegangan Phase two and Ojo-Giwa.

Unlike a situation where dilapidated buildings occupy spaces that are not properly utilized, the redevelopment project would now bring into the site, high-rise buildings befitting the central Lagos.

Isalegangan is one of such area where the second phase is in the offing, having nearly complete the first phase of the scheme that is currently at 90 percent completion stage.

It would be recalled that redevelopment Plan of Isalegangan Phase 1, is an 11-floor edifice that has 13 participating families as part of the stakeholders, with 2500 square metres of total area of land pooled together for the project.
The building was designed as 11 floors with ground and first floor exclusively reserved for parking and the sixth floor for communal use of the family.
Total number of dwelling units to be provided in the development is 48 units (6 units per floor), while Messrs Anatolia Nigeria Ltd., is the contractor handling the project.

The redevelopment plan of other places such as Princess, Old Aroloya and Anikantamo Streets, Lagos Island that made up of Isalegangan II, has seven participating families, with 13-floor structures in view, is expected to fully completed so that other areas would be visited.

But to ensure that any of such redevelopment is effectively done, preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), is ongoing with a view to securing planning permit before the commencement of construction proper.

“It is upon this development that the agency was asked to meet with the affected families to draw up a development plan that would be acceptable to all the parties.
“Unlike the Isalegangan phase 1 that was funded by the government, other projects are to be funded through joint partnership with private investors”.

It would be recalled that Lagos Island is a built-up area, with many old buildings and lack of infrastructure, especially, access roads. Besides, most of the buildings need to be replaced, hence, government’s intervention with the novel idea that different families in certain location pooled together their landed properties that would be redeveloped with modern facilities and functional infrastructure. Isalegangan phase one proved that the idea is not only acceptable to all the stakeholders, it also proved to be in tandem with urban renewal programme aiming at meeting the megacity challenges in Lagos state.

Recently, governor Akinwunmi Ambode stated the need for redevelopment of Epe town, saying the decision has become imperative in view of the influx of people from different parts of the state to the community, thereby putting pressure on available infrastructure facilities.

Ambode also promised that he would continue to build on the existing urban renewal programmes embarked upon by his predecessor. These include the ongoing Isalegangan, Ojo Giwa and Anikantamo, all in Central Lagos.

Similarly, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Kadiri Abayomi expressed the need to engage the public in budget implementation and project delivery to ensure good governance and provide accountability and quality of projects .

Speaking at the “2016 Budget Consultative Forum”, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Abayomi said its duties include monitoring of ongoing government projects and reporting any observed lapses to the appropriate government agencies.

The Permanent Secretary stated that the year 2015 Budget funded some major ongoing infrastructural projects and new initiatives such as the Light Rail Project, expansion of Mile 12 to Ikorodu Road are nearing completion.