Architects bemoan poor building plans

STORY BY WILLIAM BEEKO

The Ghana Institute of Architects has decried the poor building regulations that govern the erection of buildings in Ghana.

According to the President of the Ghana Institute of Architects Mr. Osei Kwame Agyemang people continue to build haphazardly resulting in poor drainage disposal causing disasters when heavy down pour of rains occur.

Mr. Osei Kwame Agyemang noted that the problem of inadequate enforcement of the Ghana Building Regulations (LI 1630) and other development controls have adversely affected the urban and rural landscapes in the country.

“The perceived non-enforcement of these controls and regulations is also reflected in the quality of the built environment,” he said, adding that “this is characterized by the development of unplanned settlements, slum development with its requisite sanitation and health issues, disregard of planning and zoning schemes.”

This he identified has resulted in indiscriminate and amorphous infrastructural development facilitating to flooding and collapse of buildings.

“The disregard for planning schemes has further led to the sprawl of uncontrolled development of both the urban and sub-Saharan areas,” he maintained, and added that “this development contributes to the enormous pressure on the distribution of infrastructural services like water, electricity, road networks and poor accessibility.”

Mr. Osei Kwame Agyemang indicated that the situation has created an upward surge in mixed developments which in certain instances have resulted in negative impacts on health and that is often hazardous to life.

He observed that the existence of poor accessibility to developed areas creates difficulty for the Police and Fire Services to readily react to rescue people during disasters and emergency.

He urged government to accelerate the harmonization of the building and development control processes.

“The government should endeavour to create a one-stop-shop to house all stakeholders for the building and development control procedures for easy implementation,” Mr. Osei Kwame Agyemang pointed out.

He said that the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Environment should ensure that Town Development Committees issues out only development permits whilst building permits become the sole prerogative of town and municipal assemblies to forestall the duplication of delays observed.

He lamented that the government of Ghana through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development should address all differences with in the existing laws regarding the mandates of the departments and agencies; harmonize the differences, remove all conflict points to create dependencies with in the laws in the different agencies.