The Lagos State Government has warned Developers and Investors in the built environment to desist from developing Estates without obtaining layout approvals from the State Government through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
A release issued by the Ministry said the warning is in furtherance of the Lagos State Government’s quest for a functional, orderly, well organized and resilient smart city as well as a manifestation of its determination to curb unauthorized developments and deviations from approved plans leading to environmental degradation.
It urged developers and owners of Estates to comply with the directive which was made in accordance with relevant provisions of the Lagos State Government Notice No. 6 of 1983 on Guidelines for Approval of Layouts, adding that Estates that failed to comply would be sealed up.
According to the release, “The Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, which is empowered by law to process and grant layout plan approvals and regulate the development of public and private Estates in Lagos State, published a list of 105 non-complying Estates. These Estates are, however, urged to submit necessary documents to the Ministry, through the Office of the Permanent Secretary, within 21 days, for the processing of their layout approvals”.
“Consequently, members of the public are enjoined to always request for layout plan approvals granted by the Ministry before entering into any transaction with developers, as developments within Estates without evidence of layout plan approval would be deemed illegal and necessary sanctions would be applied in accordance with the law”, it added.
The release also implored Estate owners to desist from preventing officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development from performing their official duties., stressing that officials who are on routine monitoring and enforcement duties should be accorded the necessary support, including access to carry out their assignments aimed at achieving livable, orderly and sustainable physical environment.
