Urban Development Scheme: Lagos Woos Property Owners

An innovative physical and urban development initiative of the Lagos State government has recorded commendable results.

Tagged Planning Permit Amnesty Programme, the urban development scheme has led to hundreds of thousands of hitherto indifferent property developers and owners coming forward to regularise their documents.

The amnesty window by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority was eight months from last year – May 2nd to December 31st, 2024.

It allowed property owners to obtain permits without paying the usual penalties for building without prior approval.

After this period, LASPPPA began monitoring for compliance and to enforce penalties for buildings without permits.

This surge in applicants and application was revealed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, while he was giving update during a ministerial briefing.

He said applications were in respect of a range of land use types, including residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional projects.

Highlights of records as presented by him are as follows:

1. Ist phase (May–July): 4,877 applications received; 2,151 approvals were granted.
2. 2^nd phase: (August–October). 6,402 applications received; 3,570 approvals graned in the second phase
3. 3^rd phase: (November–December) 7,210 applications received, 3,135 approved.

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“Within the first phase of Amnesty (May-July, 2024). 4,877 applications for Planning Permits were received for various uses, including residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional, among others, while 2,151 approvals were granted within the same period.

For the second phase of the amnesty period, August – October 2024, 3,570 approvals were granted out of 6,402 applications. In the third phase of the amnesty period (November – December), 3,135 approvals were granted from 7,210 applications.

“To enhance the Planning Permit coverage in Lagos State, LASPPPA embarked on various initiatives, including the decentralisation and creation of additional district offices, human capacity building, and the establishment of a framework for ‘Operation 10-Day deal’ for Planning Permit processing. Others are awareness programmes and the subsequent intensive enforcement activities.”

According to him, between May and December 2024, a total of 18,489 applications for planning permits were submitted during the three phases of the amnesty period, introduced to encourage compliance with development regulations.

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In total, 8,856 planning permits were approved within the eight-month amnesty window, signaling a significant response from property owners and developers seeking to regularise their developments.

The state launched the urban development Scheme, to streamline the approval process, promote orderly urban development, and generate updated data for infrastructure planning. Authorities have described the response as encouraging, noting that the amnesty has helped improve compliance and reduce the backlog of unapproved developments in the state.