Lagos stops work on Lekki Gardens new estate

by Dolapo Adelana

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday ordered the management of Lekki Gardens to stop further construction of buildings in its Phase 3 estate, at Olokonla area, Lekki for illegal development.
It asked the management of Lekki Gardens to provide evidences of approval on the floors of buildings erected in the estate.
It also accused the firm of encroaching on the areas reserved for ‘green environment’ in addition to erecting beyond the floors of buildings approved by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, LASPPPA and the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA.
LASPPPA General Manager, Mr Remi Oni-Orisan, who spoke after a joint inspection tour of the agencies to Lekki-Epe axis said most buildings found on the estate belonging to Lekki Garden were built in contravention with the approved plan while some were erected without approval at all.
“There is a lot of infractions in the estate. For instance, where you are supposed to have a block of one unit, there are more than that and where there shouldn’t be anything to at all, they have erected block of flats. From what we saw on the site, what Lekki Gardens is building is over building and over density but before we can reach a conclusion, we have to match what was built in comparison with what was actually approved for the firm.
“We have given the ‘stop work’ order to the firm on its ongoing structures so as not to compound to the problems identified on the site. Thereafter the management of the Lekki Garden will be invited with the resident associations in the state. They have been ordered to stop work pending investigations,’ he said.
He said the inspection was carried out so as gauge the work done so far and to avoid any collapse.
He added, “The above two floors structures in the estate were not approved. Four floors building was never approved in the layout but what you have their now is four and five floors without approval. Some of the green areas have been converted to residential areas without approval. We also notice factory within the estate and factory cannot be in the residential area.”
He warned all estate developers along the Lekki axis to regularise their papers before the government begins to clamp down on them, saying, “the government agencies are out again on extensive monitoring and enforcement of the law along the axis with a view to ensuring safety of the unsuspecting tenants and buyers of the houses on the axis”.
On his part, the LABCA General Manager, Oladotun Lasoju, said the state government would not compromise on the building erected on the axis,
He said the soil in the areas could not be compared with other areas in the state as the state was bent at ensuring the safety of the residents.
“We will not stop until people start to comply due to issue of safety concern, the need to comply with the approval. There must not be departure at all on the issue of approved plan and what is being erected. If you are departing at all, you revert  to the government to help you take a look at the plan whether it is approvable but you cannot single-handedly change approved lay out,” he said.

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