In a policy shift that has sparked intense debate among urban planners and environmentalists, the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA) has announced its intention to rezone portions of the Kpeshie Lagoon buffer zone for residential use.
The decision comes in the wake of a scorched-earth, three-day demolition operation conducted by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
While that exercise saw several unauthorised structures levelled to mitigate flooding risks ahead of the 2026 rainy season, the Assembly is now moving to regularise the high-end, fully furnished buildings that survived the excavators.
For years, the Kpeshie Lagoon—a critical ecological site—has been technically off-limits for developers. However, the sprawl of luxury apartments and gated villas in the enclave has outpaced enforcement.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for La Dade-Kotopon, Alfredos Nii Anyetei, revealed that rather than continuing the demolition of all properties, the Assembly will now formally recognise the presence of existing structures to bring them into the tax net.
“Those who were not affected by the demolition will have their presence regularised within the demarcated area, after which we will collect their property rates and building permits. The area will now be rezoned for residential use,” Nii Anyetei stated in an interview with Citi News.
The MCE admitted that the area was never intended for human habitation due to its status as a flood-prone wetland.
For decades, the Assembly maintained a “no-permit” policy, yet developers continued to build, often banking on the “fait accompli” that their structures would be too expensive for the state to pull down.
“So the whole enclave was filled with water; it’s an ecological site, and since it is not a place for residential occupation, the assembly over the years has not granted anybody a permit to be there,” he explained.
Critics argue that the move to rezone effectively rewards developers who built in violation of environmental laws, while the demolition targeted smaller, less permanent structures.
To support the new residential status, LaDMA is expected to invest in enhanced drainage infrastructure to prevent the remaining homes from being submerged during heavy downpours.
By issuing building permits and collecting property rates retrospectively, the Assembly hopes to fund the very flood-mitigation works necessitated by the encroachment into the lagoon.
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