Lagos extends amnesty for buildings lacking permits

The Lagos State Government has extended the provision of amnesty for owners and developers of existing buildings without planning approvals in the state by three months.

 The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, disclosed this in Ikeja on Wednesday.

He said, “Considering the high rate of applications since the beginning of the amnesty programme, the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved the extension of the programme by another three months, starting from August 1, 2024, to the end of October 2024 to allow more people to benefit from it.”

 In April, the Lagos State Government announced the provision of an amnesty period of 90 days, beginning from May 2 to July 30, 2024, to allow owners and developers of existing structures to obtain planning permits without payment of statutory penal fees, which erecting buildings without approvals would have attracted.

 In addition to the waiver of penal fees, the programme also comes with a discount for payments completed within 10 working days during the amnesty period.

To access the amnesty programme, an applicant is expected to submit some documents for assessment through the district offices of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority in the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas of Lagos State.

The applicant is to also submit the documents to the Electronic Planning Permit Office at the LASPPPA headquarters in Ikeja. The documents include the title document or proof of ownership, survey plan, as-built architectural drawings, and structural, electrical, and mechanical drawings (where applicable).

Other documents to be submitted for assessment are the non-destructive integrity test report (where applicable), letter of structural stability and indemnity (where applicable), land use planning analysis report, evidence of tax compliance, and other supporting documents (where applicable).

The current administration instituted the amnesty programme to cushion the effect of the current economic hardship on the built environment and equally enhance compliance with physical planning regulations to guarantee a livable, organised, orderly and sustainable built environment.