Monday, July 28, 2008
Increase In Density : The Approval Process ...
Source
castlesweekly
The term increase in Density simply means the process of adding to the unit or floor of a building from the originally approved plan. It is an alternation of the master plan of a building to give room for additional space in terms of the floors and units.
In Lagos, each of areas in the state have been clearly mapped out in the Lagos State Physical Development Master Plan; the different types of buildings, in the areas of floors (height) are clearly defined in the Master Plan. While Physical Development in some areas is limited to Bungalow buildings, others are limited to single floors, two floors, three floors etc, depending on the geographical location of the building and the intended development outlook of the state government.
Nonetheless, the continuous increase in the population of persons in the state has over time necessitated property developers to redesign their buildings to meet up with the ever increasing demand for housing and also maximize profit on particular property investments. The lack of adequate landed areas to also carry out physical development in choice areas of the state has also brought about the need for property owners and investors to seek alternative means of providing accommodation needs of people; and the real option over-time has been to increase the number of floors or units of already existing buildings which is simply termed Increase in Density.
However, to forestall arbitrary re-development of buildings and to also ensure that the original master-plan of the state in terms of approved physical development of areas are not altered beyond scope, the Lagos State Government has decided to come out with a regulatory procedure to check such projects. As a result, property owners and developers are requested to come forward to seek approval from the state government for such developmental projects. Such approval requirements according to a reliable source are to ensure that additional development on building conform to basic standards and that it does not in anyway threaten the lives of the inhabitants of the buildings.
Areas like Lekki Phase 1 and 2, Victoria Island, Magodo GRA, Ikeja and a host of others top the list of areas where property owners have mostly sought the permission from the state government to carryout Increase in Density of Buildings. These areas have over time witnessed outstanding development rates, which has in turn necessitated property owners to add more to their building structure to meet up with emerging peculiarities in those areas. As it is today, approval for increase in Density can only be obtained from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Alausa, Ikeja.
An official of the Ministry of Physical planning and Urban Development who spoke to Castles on the condition of anonymity said the most important consideration for the approval of Increase in Density is the size of the land where the addition is being considered; adding that for any Increase in Density application to be considered in the first place, such a building must have been built on a total land area of 1000 sqm and above, which is over a standard plot of land. The official said, this is to allow for enough landed space for the proposed additional development work. ‘The land size of a building which must at least be over 1000 M2, determines how many additional floors and units would be allowed on a building,’ he affirmed.
Findings show that to get approval for Increase in Density, a property owner must first and foremost send an application letter to the office of the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development stating in clear terms the proposed additional development work to be carried out on the building and other necessary information concerning the building and what has necessitated the development work.
Upon receiving the application letter, the Physical Planning Ministry would write back to the Applicant; giving such person the go-ahead or refusal letter based on earlier mentioned conditions, requesting the person to tender a formal application with the enclosure of relevant documents stated below. Such development works if not totally refused can be reduced depending on the professional view point of the LASG Physical Planners.
The application letter should be addressed to the office of the Hon. Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Alausa, Ikeja.
Documents to be submitted together with the Application Letter for Increase in Density include:
• A set of Architectural Drawings of the building,
• Certified True Copy of the Root of Title,
• Capital Development Levy Receipt
• Evidence of the payment of relevant LASG Tax
• Photocopy of the receipt of the payment of an application fee of N200, 000:00.
Immediately, these documents are received, they are subjected to proper scrutiny at the Directorate of Physical Planning and archived at the Physical Planning Registry for proper record keeping.
After due consideration and the application is deemed satisfactory, a provisional letter of approval would be issued requesting the applicant to pay a particular amount of money as approval charges are based on the number of units of floors approved. After the applicant has made the payment, the receipt is brought to the Physical Planning Office after which a final letter of approval will then be issued. It is after the letter of approval is issued that the additional development work can then be carried out on a particular building.
However, a sister policy to the Increase in Density that is the Change of Use has been placed on hold by the LASG. The embargo was placed based on what our findings revealed was as a result of the abuse of the process by property developers in the state.
The Change of Use just like the Increase in Density allows property owners to get approval to change the usage of their building from the originally approved one; commercial to residential and vice versa.
According to an informed source of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, the Change of use policy was altering the original master plan of the state adversely; purely residential areas were fast becoming commercial centres; thus the need to put it on hold; to address the situation and stem the tide, it is hoped that LASG while maintaining the master plan will not trample on the freedom of the individual to a house of his dreams.
castlesweekly
The term increase in Density simply means the process of adding to the unit or floor of a building from the originally approved plan. It is an alternation of the master plan of a building to give room for additional space in terms of the floors and units.
In Lagos, each of areas in the state have been clearly mapped out in the Lagos State Physical Development Master Plan; the different types of buildings, in the areas of floors (height) are clearly defined in the Master Plan. While Physical Development in some areas is limited to Bungalow buildings, others are limited to single floors, two floors, three floors etc, depending on the geographical location of the building and the intended development outlook of the state government.
Nonetheless, the continuous increase in the population of persons in the state has over time necessitated property developers to redesign their buildings to meet up with the ever increasing demand for housing and also maximize profit on particular property investments. The lack of adequate landed areas to also carry out physical development in choice areas of the state has also brought about the need for property owners and investors to seek alternative means of providing accommodation needs of people; and the real option over-time has been to increase the number of floors or units of already existing buildings which is simply termed Increase in Density.
However, to forestall arbitrary re-development of buildings and to also ensure that the original master-plan of the state in terms of approved physical development of areas are not altered beyond scope, the Lagos State Government has decided to come out with a regulatory procedure to check such projects. As a result, property owners and developers are requested to come forward to seek approval from the state government for such developmental projects. Such approval requirements according to a reliable source are to ensure that additional development on building conform to basic standards and that it does not in anyway threaten the lives of the inhabitants of the buildings.
Areas like Lekki Phase 1 and 2, Victoria Island, Magodo GRA, Ikeja and a host of others top the list of areas where property owners have mostly sought the permission from the state government to carryout Increase in Density of Buildings. These areas have over time witnessed outstanding development rates, which has in turn necessitated property owners to add more to their building structure to meet up with emerging peculiarities in those areas. As it is today, approval for increase in Density can only be obtained from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Alausa, Ikeja.
An official of the Ministry of Physical planning and Urban Development who spoke to Castles on the condition of anonymity said the most important consideration for the approval of Increase in Density is the size of the land where the addition is being considered; adding that for any Increase in Density application to be considered in the first place, such a building must have been built on a total land area of 1000 sqm and above, which is over a standard plot of land. The official said, this is to allow for enough landed space for the proposed additional development work. ‘The land size of a building which must at least be over 1000 M2, determines how many additional floors and units would be allowed on a building,’ he affirmed.
Findings show that to get approval for Increase in Density, a property owner must first and foremost send an application letter to the office of the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development stating in clear terms the proposed additional development work to be carried out on the building and other necessary information concerning the building and what has necessitated the development work.
Upon receiving the application letter, the Physical Planning Ministry would write back to the Applicant; giving such person the go-ahead or refusal letter based on earlier mentioned conditions, requesting the person to tender a formal application with the enclosure of relevant documents stated below. Such development works if not totally refused can be reduced depending on the professional view point of the LASG Physical Planners.
The application letter should be addressed to the office of the Hon. Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Alausa, Ikeja.
Documents to be submitted together with the Application Letter for Increase in Density include:
• A set of Architectural Drawings of the building,
• Certified True Copy of the Root of Title,
• Capital Development Levy Receipt
• Evidence of the payment of relevant LASG Tax
• Photocopy of the receipt of the payment of an application fee of N200, 000:00.
Immediately, these documents are received, they are subjected to proper scrutiny at the Directorate of Physical Planning and archived at the Physical Planning Registry for proper record keeping.
After due consideration and the application is deemed satisfactory, a provisional letter of approval would be issued requesting the applicant to pay a particular amount of money as approval charges are based on the number of units of floors approved. After the applicant has made the payment, the receipt is brought to the Physical Planning Office after which a final letter of approval will then be issued. It is after the letter of approval is issued that the additional development work can then be carried out on a particular building.
However, a sister policy to the Increase in Density that is the Change of Use has been placed on hold by the LASG. The embargo was placed based on what our findings revealed was as a result of the abuse of the process by property developers in the state.
The Change of Use just like the Increase in Density allows property owners to get approval to change the usage of their building from the originally approved one; commercial to residential and vice versa.
According to an informed source of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, the Change of use policy was altering the original master plan of the state adversely; purely residential areas were fast becoming commercial centres; thus the need to put it on hold; to address the situation and stem the tide, it is hoped that LASG while maintaining the master plan will not trample on the freedom of the individual to a house of his dreams.
# posted by Omion Emmanuel @ 9:13 PM 
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