Director Makes Case For Area Planning Authorities

A Director in the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development, has called for the creation of area planning authorities in the state.
Director, Development Control Unit, Mr. Mina Aprioku, made the call in a chat with The Tide in his office in Port Harcourt, Monday.
Aprioku stated that area planning authorities set up in the various local government areas, would help solve the problem of irregularities the aesthetics of Port Harcourt city and indeed the towns in Rivers State.
He said the area planning authority would come up of subject plans, which he also called zoning for each area of the state and would ensure compliance to the subject laid out for the areas.
He noted that planning in Rivers State stopped some 35 years ago when military rule abandoned the idea effectively planning the cities, which he said was the reason for the confusion in the city.
He said at the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914, when Port Harcourt became a province, there was a master plan where Port Harcourt was zoned into residential and industrial areas, saying that as the city began to grow and military rule came on board, the idea of a master plan was abandoned, which he explained gave rise to industries, schools, recreational centres, worship centres and residential houses being situated together.
According to him, if the government would come up with an essential plan, it would help to bring out the zoning formular to separate industrial areas from residential areas.
He pointed out that change of use, where a property owner changes his property from the original use to something else was another issue the Ministry of Urban Development had to grapple with in trying to maintain a sane city.
Furthermore, he said, “area planning authorities would have authority to regulate approvals of building plans at the local planning level, collect and process data for the planning of an area.
He noted however, that, “if our office is supported politically and given enough funding, all these will stop. If the developer does not stop, we can demolish the structure because there are enabling laws backing the ministry against these practices. We have the 2003 physical planning and development law”.
“We also have the development control law guiding us, what we need is the political will”, he continued.
He used the opportunity to call on the communities to form neghbourhood watch over developments going on in their areas and raise alarm when they feel something is not being done right.