A fundamental shift in the approval process for construction of residential buildings could be underway soon in Lagos, under fresh measures by the authorities to curb the worrisome trend in collapsed structures.

Details of the revised process, which has already secured the consent of Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are still being fine-tuned by development control officials at the State Ministry for Physical Planning and Urban Development.

When eventually operational, however, he new procedure will do away with the concept of a single all-in one approval of construction drawings, to be replaced with an alternative scheme involving not less than two approval stages.

“The era of obtaining a single ‘almighty approval’ for any construction work in Lagos State will soon fade away’, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Fransisco Bolaji Abosede, told executive members of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) during an interactive session at the weekend.

“Now we will be having provisional and final approval. This is to ensure that all construction works in the state comply with international standards. And this will be good for our society and the people,” the Commissioner said.

Until now, approvals were given for building plans ahead of commencement of construction works. Essentially, construction drawings for the project are submitted to the state physical planning offices, and after if considered fit, would be consented to by the government.

Besides, the new process for approval of building plans would also involve a more active role for professional bodies in the building sector, as members would be assigned the role of supervising the projects. These assignments, however, will be for a fee, which would be paid by the developer.

The commissioner said that the ministry was currently in the process of contacting all the professional bodies concerned to work out the details.

Ahead of the new dispensation, Abosede said the state government had directed that all construction work on the Lekki axis should stop. He said that those who fail to comply would have themselves to blame eventually, when the state swings in to demolish violators within the areas.

“We have asked people to stop development along Lekki, but we find that developments are still going on there. I tell you that it will no longer be to their detriment in the long run”.

Also, he added, until otherwise directed, no new approvals would be granted for the construction of filling stations within the state. He said that the state had written to the major petroleum products marketers on the state’s new initiative and that they had given supportive responses.

Earlier, Lagos NIA Chapter Chairman, Mr. Enyi Ben-Eboh, had commended the state government for its effort to restore and maintain sanity in construction activity within the state. But raising some issues which said were germane to the growth and development of architectural profession, Ben-Eboh said that NIA wanted the state’s backing in the area of vetting and recommendation for approval of architectural drawings. He suggested that architects who were fully registered with NIA and ARCON should be deployed at all local planning authorities and district offices for the purpose of vetting and recommending for approval.

Other issues discussed were the problem of quacks in the industry, planning challenges and bottleneck often encountered in the recently approved 30 days plan approval processes.

On implementation of the national building code recently approved by the Federal Government, the Lagos NIA chief urged the state to adopt the provisions, which, he said would bring about drastic reform in the development control process and solve much of the problems challenging growth in the sector.

Source: The Guardian Newspaper