ACQUISITION OF DEVELOPMENT PERMIT IN KWAHU EAST DISTRICT

The territory of Ghana as defined under the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana includes the land mass, air space, sub-terrain territory, marine space and reclaimed lands constitute a planning area and subject to the planning system provided under Act 925 and other relevant laws. This means that the Kwahu East District Assembly is the sole authority in controlling developments within its areas other than just on the land mass and issues planning and building permits for all physical developments as enshrined in the Land use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), which stipulates that “No physical development shall be carried out in a district without prior approval in the form of written permit granted by the District Planning Authority”.

The Physical Planning Departments of the Kwahu East District Assembly serves as the Secretariat for the District Spatial Planning Committee and performs spatial planning functions of the Assembly. The Spatial Planning Committees (SPC) is responsible for the preparation of spatial plans, consideration and approval of development permit applications, and monitoring implementation of the plans.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT

Development permit is a written permission authorizing a person to carry out development in accordance with conditions specified in the permit. It gives due considerations to matters relating to zoning, planning standards and structural conditions of the proposed development.

Issuance of Development Permits at the District

The Kwahu East District Assembly issues development permits for all Physical Developments, works and spatial activities in the district through the Spatial Planning Committee, and they include:

  • Buildings
  • Civiland Engineering Works
  • Surface Mining and Quarrying
  • Other operations on, in under or over land
  • Material change in the existing use of land
  • Disposal of waste on land
  • Erections of advertisement or other hoarding
  • Any form of physical development as defined in Act 925

Basic requirements for Development Permit includes;

  • Development Permit Application Form (Jacket)
  • Site Plan to the scale of 1:2500 or 1:1250 and conforming to the local planof the area
  • Block Plan to the scale of 1:50
  • Architectural drawings to the scale of 1:20 or 1:40
  • Structural drawings to the scale of 1:20 or 1:40Evidence of ownership of the land
  • Report on stakeholder consultation (where applicable)
  • Previous permit if any

PLANNING PERMIT

A Planning permit is a written permit issued for the purpose of fostering compliance of
activities with approved zoning regulations (e.g. heights, orientation, building line and
setbacks, plot coverage etc) and planning standards (e.g. geographic accessibility, size
and class of development).

All developments that are carried out on, under or over land, or cause material change in the existing use of land, or building and includes sub-division or consolidation of land, the disposal of waste on land, including the discharge of effluent into a body of still or running water and the erection of advertisement or other hoarding shall require Planning permit.

Issuance of Planning Permits

Physical Developments that require Planning Permits include:

  • Temporary Structure
  • Temporary activities that require the use of public space
  • Demolition
  • Change of use
  • Advertisement
  • Consolidation and Sub-division of land
  • Hoarding
  • Mining in the nature of sand wining, quarrying and mineral extraction
  • Disposal of industrial waste

TEMPORARY STRUCTURE PERMIT

A temporary structure is any physical structure constructed, installed or placed on spaces zoned for permanent uses and meant to facilitate the construction of a permanent structure, serve short term emergency needs or facilitate small scale business operations. The temporary permit shall be renewable every six months for a period not exceeding five years. Permits for Temporary structures shall be issued to developments that are not permanent in nature. Permits for Temporary structures shall be renewed every 6 months.

Basic Requirements for Temporary Structure Permit

  • Application form (Jacket)
  • Evidence of good title to the land or permission from relevant stakeholders
  • Site Plan to the scale of 1:2500 or 1:1250 and conforming to the local plan ofthe area
  • Block Plan to the scale of 1:50
  • Designs of proposed temporary structures

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION FOR HABITATION

  • Developers who have completed their building to the satisfaction of the District
    Planning Authority shall be issued a “Certificate of Completion for Habitation”
  • Applicants shall be required to demonstrate that all conditions and requirements of the Development and Building Permit issued have been fulfilled.

Application for Certificate of Completion for Habitation

For the purposes of issuance of “Certificate of Completion for Habitation” a developer shall give to the District Assembly notice in writing of:

  1. The erection of a building not more than seven (7) days after completion or if a building or part of a building is occupied before completion, not less than seven days after completion;
  2. Any alteration or extension of a building, not more than seven (7) days after completion; or the execution of works or the installation of fittings in connection with a building, not more than seven (7) days after completion.
  3. The District Planning Authority shall within 7 days after inspection of the development issue the Certificate of Completion for Habitation.

Development Permit Application Process Flow Chart

Step-by-step guide to obtaining development permit in Kwahu East District Assembly

  • Submit formal application with 4 copies of relevant documents to the secretariat of the Spatial Planning Committee (Physical Planning Department)
  • Pay the required processing fee and receive acknowledgement of application submitted
  • Receive notification of SPC meeting decision on application within 21 days of application.
  • Pay the approval fees to the District Assembly if application is approved.
  • Submit receipt of approval fees to the Physical Planning Department and receive approve permit.

NB// 

  • Acquiring a permit is a statutory requirement and development permit should be acquired before commencement of works. You are not permitted to commence works while waiting for your permit within the prescribed time frame.
  • The primary purpose of a development permit is to ensure that developments conform to planning standards and promote safety, convenience, aesthetics and liveability.
  • The validity period for a development permit is five (5) years and the development permit should be renewed if the project is not completed within 5 years.
  • A development permit may be revoked if the developer does not comply with conditions stipulated in the permit granted.
  • The permit is properly signed by the Physical Planning Officer and Works Engineer

In addition to the statutory requirements above, in the Kwahu East District the following requirements also apply;

  1. Business Registration Certificate (for organizations).
  2. Business Operating Permit (for organizations).
  3. Up to date Property Rate payment (Existing Buildings)
  4. Note:
  5. For Organisations:A developer may be asked to provide additional information depending on usage, size, etc.
  6. For Existing Buildings:Some Development Projects require a prior application for “Planning Permission –in- Principle” before application for a substantive Development /Building permit.
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