MMDAs are planning authorities, not permit issuers - Physical Planning Director clarifies

Gifty Nyarko, National President of Local Government and Head of the Physical Planning Department, clarified on the Joy Super Morning Show on July 7 that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are the planning authorities mandated by law to oversee physical development, but do not directly issue development permits. She stated, "We take the applications, process them and submit them to the Technical Sub-Committee before they are forwarded to the Spatial Planning Committee for approval."

Madam Nyarko explained that before 2016, the department operated as the Town and Country Planning Department. Following the passage of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), the department was integrated into the Local Government Service at the district level. While national and regional offices now operate under the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), district-level physical planning departments function within the Local Government Service. Physical planning officers serve as the secretariat responsible for receiving and processing applications for physical development, and their responsibility extends to monitoring developments to prevent unauthorised construction. Development control is carried out in collaboration with engineers through the Planning and Building Inspectorate Unit to ensure construction conforms to approved plans and planning regulations.