Today’s #FridayRead looks at one of the key roles of the District Assemblies under the Local Government Act, 2016 (the “Act”)
Under the Act, each District Assembly is established as the planning authority for its area of authority for the purposes of national economic planning. The District Assembly as the planning authority performs planning functions including issuing permits to carry out physical development on land.
It is interesting to note that, where a physical development on land has been carried out without a permit or conditions incorporated in a permit, the District Planning Authority will give a written notice to the owner of the land requiring that owner to show cause why the unauthorized physical development should not be prohibited, altered, abated, recovered or demolished.
Where the owner of the land fails to show sufficient cause why the development should not be prohibited, the District Planning Authority may carry out the prohibition or demolition and recover any expenses incurred from the owner of the land as if it were a debt due to the District Planning Authority.