In an effort to correct the distortions in the physical development of structures in the State and ensure compliance with the State Physical Planning Law, Lagos State Government through its Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development is embarking on data collation of Event Centers and Petrol Filling Stations to complement the ongoing screening of illegal gas plants in the State.
Speaking in an interview recently, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye said Government is concerned about the upsurge in the construction of Filling Stations, Event Centers and Gas Stations and has, therefore, commenced steps to audit these developments to determine their approval status and the level of compliance with the regulatory laws as it applies to each of them.
According to the Commissioner, “With the audit exercise, the State Government will be able to know the number available, their geographical distribution, how many are approvable as well as how many of them can be regularized”.
Ogunleye said that majority of these structures are just springing up without Planning Permits from the appropriate authority, noting that with the rate Filling Stations and Event Centers are springing up, they already constitute a nuisance in terms of traffic congestion and environmental degradation.
“You will recall that there is an embargo on Petrol Filling Stations now and it’s not going to last till eternity, so what Government is trying to do while the embargo is on, is to get the data of all PFS in Lagos State, to see the spread. Some areas are more congested in term of PFS, so further approval may not be granted to those corridors. Investors would be advised to go to other areas”, he emphasized.
He disclosed that majority of the PFS rather than approaching the State Government for planning permits get clearance from the Department of Petrol Resources (DPR) and construct without approval which is a violation of the Regional and Urban Law of Lagos State.
Responding to issues affecting Events Centres, the Commissioner said that quite a number of them do not go for planning information, stressing that though some of them make use of temporary structures like tents instead of permanent structures, they must still be secure appropriate approvals.
Giving the Central Business District as an example, he lamented the traffic caused by the concentration of Event Centers along the corridor, adding that Government will no longer grant approvals for Event Centers in such areas.
He advised the people of Lagos to obtain planning information from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development at no cost and submit necessary documents for planning permits before embarking on any development.
