AWARENESS CREATION ON PERMITTING ISSUES AND OTHER RELATED LAND ISSUES IN KWAHU WEST MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY
The Department of Physical Planning is responsible for the activities of the Department of Town and Country Planning and the department of Parks and Gardens.
The Physical Planning Department does and link to activities include
• Development control
• Assessment of permits
• Street naming and property addressing system
Status of SNPAS
Land use Planning and Development control can never he underrated inhuman settlement growth and development. In the wake of rapid population growth and uncontrolled urbanization, adequate spatial planning has gained such prominence as a total to achieve a congenial living environment.
Towns in Ghana of which Nkawkaw is part lack the ability to harness the good side of increasing population. We are continuously bedeviled with the spate of Spatial Planning always chasing after development instead of the vice versa. This consequently leads to erection of unauthorized structures, haphazard developments, informal settlements and slums.
Effectiveness of development control measures and practices are stalled by several factors including political interference, low staffing capacity of institutions, low awareness of regulations concerning development control, inadequate funds unscrupulous activities by some land owners and private artisans amongst others.
Public Education
The Physical Planning Department of the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly as part of its mandate is to educate developers on the need to acquire development and building permits before the commencement of new developments.
In line with this Department has adopted strategies like community engagements and radio programmes to address issues of low awareness creation on permitting issues in the municipality.
The Department over the course of the year has had five radio programmes with Life fm and Okwawufm and one community engagement forum with residents of Kwaman (residents around St. Anthony’s School) to create awareness on permitting issues and other Spatial |Planning activities.
Though the number of programmes organized is small, its effectiveness cannot be under emphasized judging by the call in and participation of the general public during the programmes and forum.
We however hope to intensify awareness creation programs next year and extend it other radio and communities as demanded by the public.
This we hope will create a conducive atmosphere and enabling environment for the enforcement of building regulations and acquisition of development and building permits.