PROPERTY TRANSACTION GUIDE

How Zoning Can Reshape Lagos, By Experts
By Michael Simire, Houses & Homes Editor

Independent, Monday, 10th August 2009

Several decades ago, they were flourishing, much-sought-after residential areas. But hardly does anyone live there today.

Adeniran Ogunsanya in Surulere, as well as Allen Avenue, Opebi Road, Toyin Street, Awolowo Way, Oba Akran Avenue and Adeniyi Jones all in Ikeja are now predominantly commercial streets featuring banks, eateries, shops and offices.

In the face of Lagos' rapidly changing environment and its emergence as a mega city, issues related to change of use and land use zoning have become cause for concern for state officials and city-based built environment industry and related practitioners, who a couple of weeks ago once again deliberated on the worrisome trend.

The event was a public lecture organised by the local chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) to mark the 70th birthday of Mr. Remi Makinde, a past NITP president. The daylong forum had "Land use zoning in a changing urban environment" as its theme.

Guest lecturer, Mr. Tunde Otubu of the University of Lagos, who is a property lawyer, lamented that rigidity in physical development apparently informed contraventions in Ikoyi Southwest, turning the otherwise peaceful residential haven into a bustling commercial centre.

According to him, if properly conceived and applied to the nation's spatial order, zoning could go a long way towards reducing travel time and distance, traffic congestion and associated environmental hazard from vehicular emission.

He argued that, as zoning would play a major role in the build-up of Lagos to a mega city, its application should not follow "the old, rigid and unrealistic system that stifles development and breeds sprawl communities."

He said, "Zoning can be used to shape the place where people live and work and the country we live in. It can play a key role in supporting the government's wider social, environmental and economic objectives and sustainable communities."

But the law teacher noted that, for zoning to achieve the set goals and objectives, it must be prepared with transparency, flexibility, predictability and efficiency to provide quality development needed to deliver sustainable development and secure sustainable communities.

He added, "Zoning plans should be drawn with community involvement and participation and present a shared vision and strategy of how the area should develop to more sustainable patterns of development. Zoning designs should address issues of social cohesion and inclusion and seek to reduce social irregularities, take into account the needs of all the community, including particular requirement relating to age, sex, religion, disability and income.

"Zoning should seek to maintain and improve the local environment and help to mitigate the effects of declining environmental quality through positive policies on issues such as design, conservation and the provision of public spaces. It should stimulate and encourage accessible public transport in order to secure a more sustainable pattern of transport development."

Expressing his grouse with indiscriminate change of land use, Makinde declared that cities all over the world are organic and would continue to grow due to socio-economic development.

Makinde, a retired civil servant who now practices privately, said, "They (cities) are dynamic and will certainly continue to grow and where necessary change of land uses will occur due to needs. Because the city is dynamic, we really cannot stop such changes. We should ensure that studies are carried out at the right time to give a direction and control such development.

"To say that no change of use should occur is a day dream. Government should please put plans in place to dictate the right pace at the right time. Such a step will reduce illegalities in physical development."

On the building collapse menace, he expressed happiness that industry experts were coming together to look into the issue and proffer solutions. "They should in their recommendations ensure that the National Building Code must be implemented to the letter by ensuring that developers always use the right professionals for their development," he suggested.

He implored his professional colleagues (town planners) to "always struggle to be worthy ambassadors of our noble profession whether they are working for government or they are in a private organisation or are consultants."

He added, "Those in government should ensure that they do not delay approval process for building plans. They should detect illegal or faulty buildings at their infancy and ensure efficiency and high level of service delivery, while those in consultancy should give sound professional advice to their clients and act promptly to their clients' satisfaction."

He called for contributions to the launch of the Endowment Fund for Merit Awards for Best Town Planning Students in some selected institutions in Nigeria. "I already have such in five institutions since nearly 30 years ago, but the naira value has considerably diminished thus making the present value of the award virtually meaningless. If I am able to generate sufficient funds, I plan to expand the coverage," he disclosed.

While declaring that cities' growth have been unprecedented, Lagos NITP chairman, Mr. Moses Ogunleye, lamented that the fact that settlements do not have development plans to guide their growth and the inability of government to institute appropriate development management techniques have compounded the existing problems.

"We must continuously search for relevant and very suitable strategies in city planning and development. We should be able to adapt and adopt good global practices to enhancing quality of life in our cities," he declared.