Experts Canvass Building Plans Approval Processes Review

Some real estate
development experts have demanded an overhaul of the process leading to the approval of building plans by state governments.
They said in an interview with newsmen in Lagos last Thursday that government bureaucracy in getting building plan approvals was posing a huge obstacle to bridging the nation’s housing deficit.
According to them, the process is cumbersome, too demanding and time wasting in meeting the needs of urbanisation and overall development.
Mr Makinde Ogunleye, former Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Planners (NITP), Lagos Branch, said that the property industry might not record significant growth until the process was overhauled to reflect the demands of housing in an emerging economy.
Ogunleye said that the obstacles in acquiring the approvals had greatly slowed down the pace of structural developments in the states.
He said that some developers and investors, who showed interest in the sector, had in most cases pulled out following the difficulties they encountered in the process.
Ogunleye said that the bureaucratic bottleneck had also made many developers to circumvent the laws by building without approved documents from the government.
“A good number of projects in the state are now being developed without a building plan certificate.
“The underdevelopment of this industry can be repositioned if developers are given the permit to embark on project developments as they wanted,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Ladipo Lewis, Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Lagos Branch, also raised the issue of disparity in approvals issued by governments.
Lewis said that the classified treatment of various applications also contributed to the dismal interest of investors, especially foreign concerns in the nation’s real estate sector.
“The whole system is corrupt, what they require from Mr A is different from that of Mr B.
“The process and requirements need to be reviewed to make it more transparent and uniform to all, irrespective of the individuals’ status,” he said.
Mr Ayo Adejumo, Executive Secretary, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON) said that an application was not supposed to exceed 30 days before approval.
Adejumo said that the requirements for getting the approvals have not been clearly publicised for the general public to be aware.
“Many people do not have adequate knowledge of all it entails to get a building plan approval from the state government to develop projects.
“The responsible authorities for issuing this document should come out openly and announce to the public, the stipulations, terms and conditions guiding it,” he said.
He also said that some amendments had been made to the procedures and requirements without formal notification to the public.