PROPERTY ARTICLES

Physical planning activities in Lagos State are about to change from the current manual mode to an electronic format in line with global best practices and to make the process faster and less cumbersome.

Towards this end, the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development has begun the acquisition of facilities for the e-planning project, while also boosting the capacity of its officials through training programmes to make the new regime a success.

Two densely populated neighbourhoods, Mushin and Shomolu, have been selected as pilot areas for the e-planning project, while five others, namely, Amuwo, Ikorodu, Ikeja, Eti-Osa and Victoria Island are currently being upgraded and modernised preparatory to the commencement of the new planning regime.

The ministry has already begun the archiving of vital planning information and will soon commence e-charting. The e-planning regime is being coordinated by the Planning Information Centre set up by the ministry some years ago.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Francisco Abosede, who disclosed these on Friday at the ministry‘s yearly press briefing, said that the objective of the new planning regime was to modernise the process, remove all encumbrances to faster planning approval and allow applicants to be able to monitor the progress of their application on-line.

He said that out of a total of 3,400 building permit applications received in the last 12 months, the ministry was able to process and approve 1,791, while 1,766 were still under going processing due to one reason or the other e.g. no title documents, no Environmental Impact Assessment report, no tax clearance certificate etc.

The commissioner also said that in line with relevant laws, the state government had acquired 74 collapsed building sites, which would be used for public purposes like building of parks and recreation gardens and hospital and commercial structures.

Abosede said that the Agbowa site approved for the relocation of saw millers who presently plied their trade at Oko Baba had been cleared and sand-filled, preparatory to actual development.

The site is to be developed under the Public-Private Partnership model with a Memorandum of Understanding already agreed between the state government and a private developer.

The commissioner said that the enumeration of economic trees on the project site was almost completed, while compensation had been paid to owners of the economic trees already enumerated in line with the provisions of the Land Use Act 1978.

In order to immortalise past heroes who fought for independence and human rights, Abosede said that the state government decided to build the Freedom Park at Lagos Island as a recreational facility, on the site that used to house a prison yard in the colonial days. Work has advanced to about 75 per cent on the site.

The commissioner said that traders from the Mile 12 Market, Ajelogo and neighbouring markets would be relocated to the Ikorodu Regional Foodstuff Market, which would be executed under the PPP model.

He said that the site had already been possessed, while the perimeter survey plan was under preparation at the Office of the Surveyor-General of Lagos State.

Other projects that have the imprint of the ministry include the development of the Ikeja Shopping Plaza under the PPP model, the ECOWAS Whole Market in Badagry to accommodate iron rod/mobile and sanitary ware sellers with the invitation for expression of interest ready and statutory notices served on illegal occupants of the land, as well as the Oluwole Market, which has been redeveloped and is awaiting inauguration and the ongoing redevelopment of the Oyingbo Market.

On the planned relocation of the Computer Village from Ikeja to Oke Odo in Alimosho area, Abosede said that illegal developments at the Amikanle site had been evaluated, while the perimeter survey had been completed and expression of interest received. The final selection of the contractor is being awaited.