LAGOS TO GO TOUGH ON BUILDINGS WITHOUT PLANNING PERMITS AFTER AMNESTY WINDOW CLOSES
The Lagos State Government has vowed to go tough on buildings without Planning Permits after the expiration of the current amnesty window, opened to further ease the process.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide on Thursday when he jointly featured with the Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde on a radio programme, “Build Right” on Traffic 96.1FM.
Olumide enjoined owners of all existing buildings without Planning Permits in the State to take advantage of the amnesty initiative of the Administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to regularise their buildings so they to comply with extant Physical Planning Laws and avoid embarrassment.
He reiterated that the 90-day amnesty programme, starting from 2nd May to 30th July 2024, provided reliefs in the form of a waiver on penalties that usually go with condoning a building without approval, and a 5% discount on payments completed within 10 working days during the amnesty period.
“Just like the birth certificate for a child and vehicle licence for a car, Planning Permit is non-negotiable for any building that must stand in Lagos State”, he said.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde explained that unapproved structures compromised planning standards in the State, and to correct this, Governor Sanwo-Olu had approved the planning permit amnesty programme to capture as many completed buildings as possible and bring them to conformity with the required standards.
He decried a situation in which only a few existing buildings in Lagos State have Planning Permits or any form of approvals, stressing that the role of the enterprise Geographic Information Service (e-GIS) was to ensure the coordination of effective and automated lands and planning records in Lagos State.
“Achieving this aim requires working effectively with the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, and that of Science and Technology as well as the Lands Bureau and the Surveyor-General’s office”, he stated.