Sunyani: The Local Government Service Association of Physical Planners (LoGSAPP) has issued a reminder to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) about the necessity of obtaining parliamentary approval before rezoning public spaces for development purposes.
According to Ghana News Agency, the association emphasized through a statement signed by Mrs. Gifty Nyarko, the Head of the Physical Planning Department of the Nkoranza South Municipal Assembly and National President of LoGSAPP, that rezoning or any change in the use of public spaces is strictly subject to parliamentary approval. The statement underscores that public spaces, as defined by the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), include areas like resource lands, urban utility spaces, natural parks, and recreational areas, among others.
The statement, which was made available in Sunyani, highlighted that no Assembly is authorized to rezone or repurpose public spaces without securing the necessary parliamentary consent. It serves as a reminder to MMDAs, traditional authorities, landowners, estate developers, physical planners, and the public that public spaces are not available for unrestricted allocation, sale, conversion, or development without adherence to legal stipulations.
LoGSAPP's statement reiterates that public spaces are legally protected for societal benefit, environmental sustainability, and future generations. Once designated as public space in an approved structure or local plan, these areas must remain for public use unless the legal prerequisites for rezoning, including parliamentary approval as per Section 93(4) of Act 925, are fulfilled.
The association warned that regardless of whether the land is state-owned, stool, vested, family, or private, it remains under the custodianship of MMDAs for public trust. It further cautioned that no individual or organization, including chiefs, family heads, landowners, developers, or planning authorities, has the legal power to authorize the rezoning of such spaces without following the law.
LoGSAPP called on all stakeholders to uphold legal frameworks, respect spatial plans, and protect public spaces from illegal encroachment and conversion to ensure a well-ordered, sustainable, and resilient spatial planning system in the nation.