The President of the Local Government Services Association of Physical Planners, Gifty Nyarko, has accused some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) of failing to comply with Ghana’s building permit regulations, warning that the practice is contributing to the rise in illegal developments.
Speaking on Joy FM‘s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, July 7, Ms Nyarko alleged that some assemblies were collecting the full cost of building permits upfront, contrary to the procedures set out in law.
She explained that applicants are only required to pay a processing fee when submitting a building permit application, with the permit fee becoming payable only after the application has been approved.
“With the permit, we are not even supposed to take the upfront payment. But if you go to most assemblies, they take full payment, whether the application will be accepted or not. All we are interested in is the money,” she claimed.
“We are saying that we should comply with the Act. The Act says that the applicant pays only the processing fee. When it is approved, the applicant pays the permit fee. But we have some MMDAs taking full payment,” she added.
Ms Nyarko further alleged that some assemblies impose penalty fees on developers who undertake unauthorised construction instead of enforcing demolition orders as required by law.
“And where even people have built in wetlands, they go and take a penalty, and they will not even make sure that they go to demolish them. The Act says that when those structures are erected without notice, demolish,” she said.
According to her, the failure of some assemblies to enforce the law has contributed to the proliferation of unauthorised developments, particularly on Ramsar sites in Accra and other urban centres.
Ms Nyarko called on all institutions involved in the planning and permitting process to strictly comply with the legal framework governing building approvals, stressing that effective enforcement is critical to curbing illegal construction and reducing the risk of flooding.
