Lagos State Govt Restates Commitment To 28-Day Building Plan Approval Target

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, has restated the commitment of the Lagos State Government to the 28-day Building Plan Approval target, saying the 2019 Lagos State Physical Planning Permit and Building Control Regulations recently passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly, has come into effect to enhance the efficiency of government Agencies in the built environment sector.

Salako made the disclosure during a meeting with District Officers of Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) and Divisional as well as Zonal Heads of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) in Ikeja recently.

He said that the approved 2019 Regulations have effectively repealed the Town & County Planning and Building Plan Regulations LSLN No. 15 of 1986 and the Lagos State Physical Planning and Development Regulations 2005 LSLN No. 7 of 2007.

According to Salako, the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit and Building Control Regulations (2019) harmonised the functions of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority and the Lagos State Building Control Agency, addressing conflicts in their areas of operation with respect to physical development, particularly on land use monitoring and building construction process.

The Commissioner stated that the Regulations would strengthen the two Agencies to enhance their efficiency, move Lagos forward in terms of physical development and ultimately lead to an improvement in the State’s Ease of Doing Business rating.

“The new Regulations are indicative of another milestone that is in tandem with the realisation of the THEMES agenda of the administration of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu in Lagos State” he said.

He emphasised that the two Agencies had no excuse not to excel, given the attention and determination of government to ease approval process as indicated by His Excellency’s approval to constitute the Physical Planning Permit and Building Control Appeals Committee as well as the passage of the LASPPPA and LASBCA Regulations 2019 to enhance the efficiency of the two critical agencies.

He said that staff of both agencies would receive the relevant training required for smooth operations of the 2019 Regulations and the Appeals Committee, explaining that the increase in the number of Supervising Directors of LASPPPA from five to 10 was one of the measures taken to re-energise the system and fast-track the process of Building Plan Approval.

The Commissioner also restated that efforts were geared towards eliminating delays and ensuring the smooth operation of the process for applications to be concluded within the stipulated time.

He urged staff of the Agencies to take ownership of their jobs, behave responsibly and act professionally to ensure that the government’s objectives are achieved.