Approval Orders: What Can You Build on Your Land in The Lekki Axis?

The Lekki sub region is a vast area and is the subject of different Approval Orders, so to get a grip on this subject, it is wise to segment the area. The best way to do this in planning terms is to differentiate between Government Estates and privately held areas. The Government Estates where land is available for sale are the Lekki Phase 2 and Abijo GRA Estates.  It should be noted that there are plots complimentary to residential living like plots for places of worship and corner shops. In the two Government Estates, the buildings on the plots must give a setback of 9metres to the front fence, have air space of 3 metres to the side fences and 6 metres to the back fence.  Only two family units are allowed to be built on a plot, no matter how large the plot is, and the buildings must not exceed two floors. In certain blocks, penthouses, which must not exceed 30% of the preceding floor, are permissible.

 

The  Lekki Master Plan

 

Outside of the Government Estates, land is held by several land owning families of which the largest landowners are Elegushi, Ojomu and Olumegbon. generally, in land owned by these families (Ikate Elegushi, Osapa, Agungi, Ikota etc), the set back is 6 metres from the road and the air spaces are 3 metres. Generally, maximum floors allowed is 3 floors but there are exceptions. With respect to the number of units you can build on a plot, this is determined by the number of parking spaces you can provide on the plot, as the Approval Order requires two parking spots per family unit. Note that these parking spots must be unhindered, that is, not dependent on another car moving before the spot can be assessed by the car. so if you put 12 family units on a 600 square metre plot, your architect must find a way for 24 parking spots! An important point to note is that if more than 2 family units are put on a plot, a charge of N500,000 per additional unit will be levied. This charge is known as Infrastructural Development Charge (IDC)
Within the fiefdoms of the land owning families, estate developers have bought large acreages for estates. So we have NICON Town in Ikate Elegushi, Friends Colony in Agungi on Ojomu land etc.

The rule is that any estate purchased from the land owning families that is above 1 hectare (10,000 square metres) must have its own Approval Order and the promoters of these estates   have used this opportunity to tie future purchasers of land in the estate to building in a certain way. For instance, Northern Foreshore on Ajiran land insists on a setback of 9 metres from the road, insists on dwarf perimeter walls and that houses be painted in a prescribed colour. NICON Town’s Approval Order requires that only one house be built on a plot with two inbuilt car garages, despite been on Elegushi land which has no such restrictions. So if you are buying in these estates, clarify the position with the estate office and ‘shine’ your eyes to the developments already in the estate. They are that way because of the Approval Order
Contact
This article gives a general overview of what is permissible in the Lekki axis. To get detailed advice on your plot and if what you want to build is permissible, visit the local District Office of the Planning Office which is at KM 20, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Ikota Bridge, Right Turn Immediately after Total Petrol Station