The Lagos State Government has issued a 30-day ultimatum for owners/developers who have converted buildings to other uses not approved to regularise the properties, to avert sanctions.The General Manager of Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, (LASPPPA), Mr Kehinde Osinaike gave the warning in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement was made available to journalists by Mrs Abimbola Emdin-Umeh, Director of Public Affairs, LASPPPA.
Osinaike decried increasing illegal conversion of building use, especially residential ones, for other uses without the government’s approval.
He said that the illegal conversion of buildings to other purposes contradicts and violates the original Master Plan of the state for achievement of a sustainable Lagos.
He said that sticking to the Development Plan, which dictates the spatial arrangement of the state and the approved permissible uses for different areas, was important to prevent emergence of slums.
He called on owners/developers of illegally converted buildings and other types of illegal developments to begin regularising them by visiting LASPPPA district offices nearest to them for guidance.
“Failure to revert to the original approved plan of LASPPPA by owners of converted buildings within the next thirty days will attract the full wrath of the law,” he said.
He insisted that strict adherence to the Operative Development Plans was “non-negotiable for a sustainable Lagos State”.
Osinaike explained that the housing stock available for Lagos residents was usually estimated by planning permit granted for residential purposes.
He said that when such buildings get illegally converted, the official records automatically become unreliable to create disequilibrium “in the projected proportion of land earmarked for different categories of uses for different locations”.
He said that LASPPPA had the mandate to reject any application seeking for conversion of property from the original approved use that had been specifically designated for a particular location.
According to him, LASPPPA is legally guided by the extant Law and Regulations to grant planning permits to qualifying applications in accordance with the provisions of the Operative Development Plans of the state.
He said that illegal conversion of buildings that have approval for other uses was liable to revocation.
Speaking on Assessment Rates for processing Planning Permits, the General Manager explained that the scheduled fees worked out for the process were non-negotiable.
According to him, the Assessment for processing Planning Permit is determined by the volume, use and location of the building, which cannot be compromised.
Osinaike said the increasing clamour by prospective applicants to negotiate the government fees should not be encouraged.
He emphasised that all physical planning related fees should be paid to Lagos State Government accounts by applicants and not through touts.
The general manager urged the public to embrace voluntary compliance to Physical Planning Laws.
