Planning Permission
WHAT IS PLANNING PERMISSION?
Planning Permission” refers to a written permission in the form of a certificate issued to statutory undertakers and organizations for the purpose of ensuring compliance of activities with approved spatial plans, zoning regulations and planning standards.
The Planning Permission granted by the Authority is significantly different from the Planning Permit and Development Permit issued by the District Assemblies under Section 113 of Act 925 and Section 91 of Act 936. The Planning Permission granted by the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority is to ensure that specified proposed development aligns with the National Spatial Development Strategy of the country. The Planning Permission issued by the Authority is, therefore, aimed at ensuring that specified development proposals with cross boundary, national or international impacts or implications are properly harmonized with the National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF) whose preparation and implementation is that of the Authority.
In this respect, the Planning Permission issued by the Authority considers the impact of proposed development not just on the immediate environment or within the district, but the impact on the overall national spatial development which resonates with section 4(i) of Act 925. This means that Planning Permission granted for mining operations is required to serve as higher level or framework permit based on which the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the District Assembly can issue permits in respect of specific project footprints within the proposed project area
It is, therefore, imperative to observe that the permits issued by the District Assembly are still valid, except that the Planning Permission to convey the framework approval in principle should always preceded the issuance of permits by the District Assemblies.
