‘Technology driven permit process will curb haphazard development’

Following the lift of embargo on planning approvals in Lagos areas, town planners and developers have advised the authorities to deploy merit-based procedures that align with efficient physical development in processing new requests for planning permits in the state.
 
The professionals, who lauded government’s action, made case for the preparation of development guide for the entire state to halt illegal structures and a process-driven planning permit, rather than people-driven, through investment in technology,
  
The Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (MPP&UD) and Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPA) had recently banned the processing of planning permits due to the increasing rate of physical development throughout the state without recourse to the extant laws and regulations of the state.

They need to prepare a development guide so that it is not all illegal occupants that would be granted planning permits. Areas of lands that have been earmarked for some specific uses like school, market, hospital, police station and health centre among others, people can’t just convert land that has been committed for public use to private use. By the time you prepare a development guide for a particular land or settlement, it will tell you the hierarchy of roads in that area, the specific use upon which land could be put to use and necessary setbacks, space that needs to be observed before erecting structures. But we just have to work in line with the prevailing situation”.
  
A former president of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Remi Makinde said the lifting of the embargo was the safest thing to do by the government. He revealed that even though they placed an embargo, people were still building structures without approvals and building up slums from infancy everywhere. 
    
With the lifting of the embargo, he expressed optimism that people would regularise and be encouraged to come forward with their plan approval for authority to evaluate and if they have cause for amendment, they would do that and if not, the plan would be approved. 

He said following the direction, government wouldn’t be losing money and at the end of the day, people will be happy that they have an approved plan and that would make their buildings appreciate in value. 
 
He corroborated Adedire’s views on the need for development guide in the state to effectively take care of physical development in Lagos. To him, the measure would further curb the arbitrary development of structures instead of using the initiative to decide the development process.

“We have been clamouring for development guide, we need it. It would help and has to be put in place so that people don’t just use the rule of the thumb for taking decisions for various applications”, he said.
 
For the Managing Director, Eximia Realty Company Limited, Mr. Hakeem Ogunniran said the lifting of ban was a good move by the government, as it will help to accelerate development in those areas as well as free up capital, which has been locked up for several years in the locations.

“You will notice that some of the areas are very prime locations and a lot of people have invested in land and they haven’t been able to move ahead with their projects because of the restriction on planning approvals. Government deserved to be commended for this particular initiative. Hopefully, we also think that the implementation would be as smooth as the policy itself so that people could take advantage of the real benefits”, he stated.

Ogunniran advanced that the system should be process-driven rather than been people-driven through investment in technology, for it to yield a good results for everybody.
 
Another property developer and Managing Director, Crystal Tee Square Limited, Olatunde Oloyede who described the initiative as a welcome development, urged the government to control and regulate developments in the affected areas. Oloyede said, “The process must be holistic and base on development that merit approvals. There is still a need for regulation that would cater to the proper planning of our environment. There shouldn’t be a repeat of what was in existence before the embargo was enforced. The peculiarity of the different locations in terms of the right of ways, drainages, green areas, and infrastructure must be critically examined. There should be precise and thorough planning that just anyhow structures”.