The Paramount Chief of the Western Nzema Traditional Council, Awulae Annor Adjaye is calling for the prosecution of Town and Country Planning Department officials who he says are equally culpable in the building of structures at unauthorized places through the issuance of permits. He says those who put up such structures should not only suffer the punishment of losing their investments whilst officials who gave out permits go scot-free. According to him, it was unfair for people to lose huge investments in putting up homes and businesses through demolishing exercises by city authorities, whilst nothing happens to Town and Country Planning officials who give out permits in some cases. He says demolitions cannot be the solution to curbing the menace of indiscriminate building. He is therefore asking that such officials are dealt with according to law to serve as a deterrent to others. The Paramount Chief was speaking to Radio Maxx at the launch of the Western Regional Spatial Development Framework in Takoradi. The Spatial Development framework which is the first of its kind in the country was funded by a Norwegian development Agency, COW I Associate Team. It seeks to promote an orderly and sustainable environment, and also to ensure proper allocation of land and its judicious use for the region’s socio-economic development. Lawrence Dakurah, the team leader of the Land Use Planning and Management Project under the National Town and Country Planning Department of the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology, says the framework is to be completed in April 2012. “The Spatial Development Framework is an indicative plan showing how the area is going to grow over a twenty-year period. So basically we will be establishing the hierarchy of settlements that would be developed here. By hierarchy it means the size and function of the settlement for the Western region including major trunk infrastructure like roads, utility services and other major national projects that are to be undertaken here. And more importantly we would be identifying fragile areas such as watersheds, mangroves and all those places and protect them from encroachment to go a long way to preserve our environment” he explained. The Western Regional Spatial Development Framework which is coming on the heels of the oil boom would give guidance for a National Spatial Development Framework. The National Spatial Development Framework has already been given approval by the World Bank which is financing the preparation of the plan to take off in January 2012.