19th October, 2022
The Lagos State Government will henceforth publish planning permit contravention notices served on buildings to create adequate public awareness and tackle issues of denial by residents.
Mr Kehinde Osinaike, the General Manager of Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), said this on Wednesday, in Lagos.
Osinaike said the agency’s massive public awareness campaigns on voluntary compliance were yielding positive results but the government was taking a step further to publish planning permit infraction notices for efficiency.
He said cases abound where property owners feign ignorance of service of planning permit contravention notices whenever it was time to take responsibility for their actions or inactions against the law.
“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 also 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 being served notices before our enforcement exercise,” he said.
Osinaike said 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 towards an amicable resolution of issues to prevent sanctions.
He said that based on such interactions, information gaps could be addressed to prevent further action of enforcement officers or prompt them into implementation of the laws.
The general manager said that the notices would be published on LASPPPA’s website and all its social media handles after they have 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 have 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 the other did not have access to the information on time.
He urged the public to voluntarily follow due process in obtaining planning approvals because proper physical planning remained a tool for functional communities.
He said obtaining necessary permits before any construction work and adherence to building rules and regulations would bring about a serene environment that is safe for residents.