Ministry of Physical Planning cautions against building houses without parking spaces
By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
Anambra State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development has raised an alarm over the rate of non-compliance of building plans with the Anambra State 2015 Physical Planning Regulations. The Ministry observed that the biggest and most common violation was building without leaving enough parking space for residents.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman of Nigerian Institute of Architects, Anambra State Chapter, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Chijioke Ojukwu, Esq, noted that “the Ministry is alarmed that since the assumption of office by the Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development and the establishment of the Legal Review Department in the Ministry, no building plan submitted to the Ministry has complied with the Physical Planning Regulations of Anambra State, 2015.”
Mr. Ojukwu, who regretted that out of over two hundred applications received so far, the most violated regulation is the “setback and building coverage area rules as contained in Sections 10 and 11 of the Regulations.” According to the Commissioner, most plans submitted took over the building area by over 90%, leaving no space for parking, a situation he said “defies logic.”
Expressing disappointment, the Commissioner regretted that such violations were actively aided by architects and thereafter admonished architects to ensure compliance with setback and other regulations guiding building construction in Anambra State.
