The General Manager, Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) Tpl Funmi Osifuye in a statement released in his office on Friday, has stressed that obeying Physical Planning Permit laws will avert avoidable disasters such as the one that occurred at Cardoso Road, Unity Bus stop in Baruwa, Ipaja last Thursday.

Osifuye stated that the owner of the property did not obtain a Physical Planning Permit and that if the facility had applied, the State would not have granted it approval as the structure did not conform to existing structures in the neighbourhood; “there were two schools, already existing in the neighbourhood and that would have disqualified the establishment of such a facility in the area even if they had come for approval”, he said.

According to records, the Agency had through its Districts office, Agbado Ipaja, sealed up the property during a monitoring inspection of structures around the vicinity on the 10th of September 2020 which is part of reinforced enforcement exercise by LASPPPA, aimed at serving physical audit letters to ascertain permit status of physical development before the occurrence of the unfortunate incidence.

Yesterday, it was also revealed that an ongoing construction that collapsed at Obalende Area of the State did not have physical planning permit.

It will be recalled that LASPPPA recently beefed up its enforcement activities by deploying more Town Planners to its Monitoring and Compliance Unit and has since been embarking on follow-up inspections with Supervising Directors and Personnel of District Offices across LGAs in the State to check the level of compliance to enforcement notices issued earlier in the year and to curb reckless construction of structures in mismatch locations.

Meanwhile, LASPPPA’s weekly enforcement routine continued last week. Some were a follow-up on structures previously served notices for contravention and stop-of-work to observe their level of compliance.

Eighty-five (85) structures were inspected with 11 petrol filling stations and 19 other structures which included shopping malls, hotels and supermarkets being served notices and sealed at Agbado Ipaja District.

At Igando, Iba, LASU and Ikotun areas, 9 filling stations and 11 other commercial buildings were clamped down.

Somolu, Bariga, and Onipanu enforcement team recorded issuing 20 notices which included contravention and seal up notices on structures earlier served notices but did not address issues stipulated in the notices. They included filling stations, commercial properties and other structures under construction.

Also sealed on inspection were 15 buildings located on Cardoso Road, Unity Bus stop, Baruwa, the area where the Thursday, 8th October gas explosion which affected other buildings including a school occurred.

PM News