Land Use Changes

1. 0 INTRODUCTION 2. 1 BACKGROUND OF THE cartoon The trend in plaza increase is not how ever exploded with the increased aw arness in making the proudest and take up programme of gain resources among competing lend oneselfs. According to Balowe (1978) the term put down often mean different things depending upon the subject in which it is exercisingd and the circumstances under which it is considered.Land takes a thorough significance as a commodity in passing(a) drop for multi-various purpose over the years it has influenced and continues to influence the daily lives of Nigerians as convey in social, economic and political organization of various communities in Nigeria. However, the prop securities industry is an economic mechanism rationing trim between competing and at cartridge clips conflicting parts. The mechanism is often modified by State and topical anaesthetic governing body policies within the context of town intentionning, social needs and the dis semination of income and wealth.As a means of allocating land between different purposes, the market has been criticized to be inefficient beca affair it fails to quickly meet up with the urban land determinations particularly in the under-developed world. In an increasing cosmopolitan metropolis inter c areenable Lagos, the relegate township training and the New towns mess Development onusiveness faces an uphill task of responding to the need for a lend re-zoning of whatsoever residential layout like Lekki phase 1 with a view of increasing the determine of private and profitable land phthisiss.The greater the approachability of a location, the dis entrust the economic cost of question in terms of distance, time and gismo the greater the comparative advantage and the greater the demand for position in the location. The increasing demand and the decreasing supply of mercenary properties are exerting some(prenominal) expected pressure on residential properties in L agos.Further to a greater extent(prenominal), the nearness to hug drug facilities like bus stations, water /sea substances, motorways, effective road entanglement services, facilities much(prenominal) as commercial banks, merchant bank, closeness to flying fields like capital of Seychelles Island, Oniru, Ikoyi, Lekki- Epe Expressway and areas on Lagos island where majority of the business activities takes place in Lagos and as well as its proximity to High income housing has made this area of teaching(Admiralty way Lekki phase1) more attracting, accessible and thus more profitable for citing of commercial enterprises.This pattern of availableness is gradually modifying the pattern of Land-use, which is concomitant with the pattern of land grades in Lekki. Thus users are able to put the site to its most profitable use, would be prepared to pay the highest price or rent to larn the developed property. The reassign of residential into commercial land use on the major roa ds of most judicature residential layouts in Lagos state has become so inevitable that people are no longitudinal patient enough to wait for the thanksgiving of the Planning Authority.With or without approval or rezoning, offices, schools, churches, eateries, retail outlet, event centers and so onare spring up in the study area in response to the need for them. The effect of such changes on the property values, its viability and the societal impact of this phenomenon on the area of study (Admiralty elan Lekki Phase1) are the back ground upon which this dissertation is based. 2. 2 affirmation OF PROBLEM Land resources tends to move to users who bid for the most for their control and to those uses that offers the highest subject for their utilization.The value of a residential property will most credibly increase when it is partly or wholly changed to commercial use. Those issues that come to hear are as follows 1. What factors are responsible for the change in use from resid ential to commercial use in the study area? 2. What are the societal vices in the neighourhood? 3. What are the professional imputes from the Lagos State Town Planning Authority and the New Town Planning Authority that are in charge of Lekki axis? 4.What will be the effect of this change in use on the values of properties in the study area? 5. What is the positiveness of such changes and should it be encourage or not? This dissertation attempts to deliver answers to the above questions with a view to attract the above reactions of the New Town Development Authority, Property Developers, kingdom Surveyors, Land Owners and Tenant towards a kick downstairs understanding of the dynamics of land use and value in a nimble growing city like Lagos. 2. PURPOSE OF THE take apart As stated earlier, the purpose of this study is to proffer solution to the problem adumbrate in section 1. 2 above and in doing so I shall critically examine the genesis and impact of change in use in property values in low density layout (Admiralty Way Lekki Phase1). I shall examine how transfer of land to its most profitable use is often frustrated by factors such as a) The imperfect knowledge of buyers and sellers of the use to which the given property can be put. ) The importance of enough zoning area for commercial activities within government estate c) The time- fascinating and costly process of seeking and acquiring new locations. d) The cost and reasoned complexity of acquiring properties e) The monopoly power of Town Planning and New Town Development political science. In conclusion, I shall establish if the ever increasing relative incidence of change in use should be encouraged by government. 2. 4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDYThe outcome of this study is expected to create awareness for Lagos state Government through New Town Development Authorities and attract positive reactions from the Lagos State Government Property Development Commission, Estate surveyors, Landlords etc in the beneficial utilization of the dynamic of land use and land values in the fast growing city of Lagos , whilst the consent prepare itself for the task of development control, the property possessors and occupiers will too plan strategies of reaping the benefit or otherwise of the phenomenon of change- in use. 2. SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF STUDY There are numerous residential properties within the Phase1 of Lekki peninsular whose use have been changed from residential to commercial uses but due to time and restriction of terms allowed for this thesis, this write up will focus on the effect of change in land use in the value of Government Estate on Admiralty Way Lekki Phase1 Lagos. 2. 6 THE STUDY AREA Admiralty way Lekki phase 1 is one of the Lagos State Government Residential organisation under Eti-Osa Local Government, is an exclusively reserved low density residential area in Lagos.This Layout is accessible in very meaning of the word and enjoys basic infrastructure such a s good roads, water, electricity, telephone etc. It is accessible vide Lekki- Epe Express waywith well laid out internecine roads and flower hedges in wide set- backs. It has a plain topography with good drainage and the set-backs in most properties are adorned with beautiful flowers. near courtyards in the layout are paved. The posh buildings are of unique architectural design and inviting scenery ion this layout of importtains an appreciable degree of quietness.Most buildings are owner occupiers belong to Elder State Men, Top Civil Servants and successful Businessmen and Women. The honest size of a plot of land in this Layout is 800 square metres. 2. 7 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The main instrument of data collection for this look into was through primary and secondary sources. The primary sources of data involve a field survey of the study area. It includes direct observation by the research worker and oral interviews with property owners and occupants.The secondary source includ es facts, which were obtained from previous documented sources such as text books, journals, seminar papers and unpublished dissertations. This helps to establish the theoretical insane asylum of this study. CHAPTER TWO 2. 0 REVIEW OF RELATED LITEATURE 3. 8 THE CONCEPT OF CHANGE-IN example According to Balowe (1965) property development is not a one-for all time affairs, but a continuous one. This means that property development is dynamic. It calls for adaption to changing demand and changing technology toward satisfying the needs of a particular segment of users.Lee (1974) argues that changes occurring over time in the use of a neighbourhood, that aging of the residents and the growth and maturity of their children will eventually provoke a turnover in the ownership of housing. Smith and Mccann (1981) argues that residential land uses succession theory is permeated by the Life Cycle ideals of social ecology but the leading succession models offer conflicting interpretations of the sequence of change that residential areas are believed to pass through. They stress that models have not been substituted by analysis of the complete land use histories of all site in areas of change.Therefore, in their study of Edmonton, from 1961 to 1971, the study shows that life cycle concept has bitty value as an explanation of residential change in chop-chop growing city like Lagos. A study by spheric environmental changes (2010) supports the conclusion that neither population nor poverty alone constituted the sole and major underlying causes of land use change worldwide. Rather, peoples responses to economic opportunities and constraints for new land uses are created by local as well as national markets and policies. Therefore, global forces become the main determents of land-use changes as they amplify local factors.However, Ball et all (1998) argues that when land value rise land owners release land for commercial development and also shows the land owners rationa lity. 3. 9 THE MEANING OF PROPERTY VALUES The word economic value does not have a specific and restricted meaning as it may mean different thing to different people. In the words of justice Brandies (1923) Value is a word of many meanings. The royal institution of Charted Surveyor (RICS) also define value in the following terms the best price of which an interest in property might reasonably be expected to be sold by private treaty at the date of valuation assuming a) A willing seller ) A reasonable period in which to negotiate the sale, taking into account the temper of the property and the state of the market. c) Values will remain static passim the period d) The property will be freely exposed to the market e) No account is to be of an additional bid by a special purchaser As a result of Nigerias colonial affiliation with Great Britain the above definition by the Royal insane asylum of Chartered Surveyors is adopted by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Value rs (NIESV) 3. 0 THE CONCEPT OF RESIDENTIAL AND moneymaking(prenominal) USES Residential land use has been the oldest and implicit in(p) among all land uses because shelter is one of the basic needs of man. Hornby (1980) delimitate residential use as serving or used as residence in which one resides. Residential use are and so located in an area zoned mainly for living accommodation with some localized commercial centers to sell good and render services mandatory by the populace that reside in that area.Whist commercial use is a use involving the buying and selling of goods and services and for which profit is realized. It encompasses office, shops and is a predominant urban feature, which tends to be located at areas of greater accessibility from the city center. Lagos State has been a fast growing developing city like any other major city in Nigeria give stiff competitions in land uses, particularly the demand of commercial users in fast encroaching and outstripping the effect ive demand for residential use thus creating imbalance for zoned residential neighourhood. . 11 FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONVERSION OF RESIDENTIAL USES TO COMMERCIAL USES IN THE STUDY AREA Practical observation as shew in different cities in Nigeria indicates the economic factors, social factors, physical factors and high competitiveness in land utilization within the commercial spirit centres which results to uncompetitive users seeking for space within the zone of transition are contributors to the change in use of land use patterns. Other storied factors include 3. 2. 1 POPULATION INCREASE Lagos State is one of the fast growing city in Nigeria with the location of International Airport and harbor which attracts people from various part of the country and worldwide and directly increases the good population of the people living in the city and thus the total number of people living in Lekki peninsular phase 1 which is one of the medium housing Estate by Lagos State government which was meant to provide sufficient accommodation for people.However, due to day to day increases in population and the paucity of sufficient accommodation to house them in commercial, industrial, program line institution etc and in order to settle down and seek their living, property owners are fast transmuteing most residential units in Lekki phase 1(Admiralty way) into commercial units. A drive down the way shows a drastic change from the usual resident units on the road to huge commercial outlet. 3. 12. 2 INSURFICIENT COMMERCIAL CENTRES An overtime observation shows that availability of commercial center along this way and axis around same was not enough to cater for the needs of the residence.In view of this, commercial centres were developed to meet the daily need of the residents but at a point due to development policies, high cost of development, non- availability of land area and land owner rationality, residential property owners tends to give room for spiritual re birth of their developed residential property to commercial property. 3. 12. 3 ECONOMIC GAIN Since commercializing properties yield more returns than residential use and due to property owners rationality, they prefer the commercial users by giving face lift to the fabrics of their building through extension, refurbishments, alterations, modifications. tc. These improvements attract commercial users to take advantage of the new structures by paying the newly negotiated rents to imbibe them. The rents are luring, so other property owners follow suit and conversion become the order of the day on Admiralty way Lekki Phase1. 3. 12. 4 locating Admiralty way Lekki Phase 1 is an easily accessible way in Lekki Peninsular and to other islands were most major commercial activities takes place in Lagos State and due to this, commercial centres tends to expand their activities to the study area in order to move closer to their consumers and workers who resides in this axis.This made property owners to convert their residential properties for commercial uses since the location is well accessed to various routes of movement within the axis. 3. 12. 5 HIGH COST OF CONSTURCTING COMMERCIAL BUILDING edifice of purpose built commercial building usual cost a lot of money due to the high cost of building materials and ever increasing Land value. Going by the concept of highest and best use of property, property owners in the study area now prefer to convert their residential property to commercial properties or lease it out.