NEWS
Abia Govt Revokes Trademore Estate Building Permit Over Planning, Flooding Violations
The Abia State Government has revoked the building permit granted for Trademore Estate in Ubani, Umuahia, following findings of alleged serious planning, development and regulatory violations associated with the estate.
The decision was disclosed by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, on Tuesday while briefing newsmen on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
Prince Kanu explained that the government’s action followed complaints from residents concerning persistent flooding and defective structures within the estate, prompting the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA) to conduct an inspection of the property and investigate the circumstances surrounding the development.
According to the Commissioner, the inspection uncovered several issues which raised concerns about the legality, planning approval and environmental suitability of the development.
He said the estate was developed on a swampy area that had been reserved for agricultural purposes, while the development carried out on the site went far beyond what was contained in the building permit application submitted by the developer.
Prince Kanu disclosed that the developer had initially obtained approval for only two buildings — a semi-detached two-bedroom bungalow and a three-bedroom bungalow, but subsequently proceeded to develop an entire estate on the site.
The Commissioner further revealed that several mandatory documents and technical requirements were missing from the developer’s application. These included a survey plan, site plan, site analysis report, layout plan and environmental impact analysis report.
He also said there was no evidence that the required administrative fees had been paid and that the necessary technical inputs from relevant professionals and government agencies had been obtained before the development commenced.
“Following complaints about flooding and defective structures from residents of the estate, the UCDA sent out a team to that estate to carry out a site inspection and to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the flooding of the estate.
“The findings by this team were quite startling and worrisome. First, the estate was developed on a swampy area reserved for agricultural purposes.
“Secondly, the building permit drawing submitted by the estate developer was for two buildings. One, a semi-detached two-bedroom bungalow, and two, a three-bedroom bungalow, as against a whole estate that was developed by the developers.
“And the following requisite documents were not included in that application. One, there was no survey plan.Two, there was no site plan. Three, there was no site analysis report plan.
“Four, there was no layout plan of the intent of the developer, and he wanted to develop an estate. He (Developer) just asked for permits to erect two buildings.
“There was no environmental impact analysis report. There was no evidence of payment of administrative fees by the developers.
“Finally, there were no technical imputs by relevant professional or government agencies at the time,” Prince Kanu said, providing details of the findings
Following the findings, the Abia State Government revoked the building permit for the estate, with the Commissioner stating that additional measures to address the concerns arising from the development would be communicated to the media.
The action underscores the administration’s position that property development within the state must comply with approved planning regulations, environmental requirements and other statutory procedures, particularly where developments have potential implications for public safety and the environment.
Contributing to the briefing, the General Manager of the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA), Hon. Kingsley Agomoh, explained that the revocation of the development permit was based on the developer’s failure to comply with the approved land-use terms.
Agomoh, however, moved to allay concerns among property owners who legitimately purchased plots within the area, assuring them that they had nothing to fear from the government’s action.
He stressed that the intervention was directed at correcting identified irregularities, ensuring compliance with development regulations and protecting the integrity of the state’s urban planning system, rather than targeting legitimate property owners.
The development comes as the Abia State Government continues to intensify regulatory oversight of physical development across the state, with authorities increasingly scrutinising projects to ensure that building activities conform to approved land-use plans, environmental standards an
d established development regulations.