The Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly has come under scrutiny over its failure to prevent the proliferation of unauthorised containers and temporary structures in East Legon, despite acknowledging that it did not issue permits for the developments.
The issue emerged when officials of the Assembly appeared before Parliament’s Local Government and Rural Development Committee to account for activities within the municipality and respond to concerns over the enforcement of planning regulations.
The officials told the Committee that the Assembly had not granted permits for the containers and other temporary structures that have appeared at various locations in East Legon.
The disclosure prompted concerns from lawmakers about how the structures were allowed to emerge and remain in place without the necessary planning approval.
Chairperson of the Committee, Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr, questioned the Assembly’s enforcement mechanisms, particularly given East Legon’s status as a major residential and commercial area.
“Why do you allow containers springing up everywhere around such an expensive area? And temporary structures too. There are a lot of them there. Are you ready to do something about it because they are unauthorised structures and containers and all of that?” she asked.
The Committee expressed concern that the continued presence of the structures could undermine orderly physical development and weaken compliance with planning regulations in the municipality.
It therefore tasked the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly to develop a comprehensive strategy to deal with the situation and take steps to remove the unauthorised structures.
The Committee stressed the need for the Assembly to move beyond acknowledging that the structures were unauthorised and demonstrate concrete enforcement measures to prevent further proliferation.
The development places renewed attention on the capacity of local authorities to monitor construction and enforce planning regulations, particularly in rapidly developing communities such as East Legon.
