The Lagos State government on Thursday sealed off 20 buildings for inability of owners to produce planning permits.
The state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development sealed off buildings at various stages of completion in Isheri-North GRA due to inability of the owners to produce approved planning permits on demand as stipulated in the guidelines issued by the ministry.
According to the ministry in a statement on its twitter handle, the state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, who led the demolition team said the buildings were sealed off during a routine compliance monitoring exercise as a result of lack of planning permits.
“I wish to emphasize that owners and developers should ensure they apply and obtain Planning Permits before construction, make recourse to the Lagos State Building Control Agency for stage certification to certify the building as safe, complete and habitable.”
Salako reiterated the need for all property owners or developers to make their Planning Permits available on demand as operatives of the ministry would continuously monitor all building construction sites and request for the enabling permit issued by the state government, through the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA).
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Mr. Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, who also participated in the monitoring exercise, said that the state government had taken all necessary steps to further ease the process and timeline for approvals, adding that the 28 days earlier promised for obtaining planning permits remains sacrosanct.
While insisting that the State had upgraded and stabilised the Electronic Planning Permit (EPP) platform for processing approvals, saying that members of the public can utilise the medium to ease the process.