The Savelugu Municipality is one of the 260 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana and forms part of the 16 MMDAs in the Northern Region. The Municipality was carved out of the then Western Dagomba District Council, which comprised Tamale, Tolon and Savelugu. The Municipality has its administrative capital at Savelugu. It is located in the northern part of the Northern Region of Ghana and has a total land area of about 2022.6 sq∙km. with a population density of 68.9 persons per sq∙km. It shares boundaries with West Mamprusi Municipal to the north, Karaga District to the east, Kumbungu District to the west and Tamale Metropolitan Assembly to the south (see Figure 2). The altitude of the Municipality ranges between 400 and 800 feet above sea level. According to the 2010 population and housing census, the population of the Municipality stands at 139,283, with 67,531 males and 71,752 females (2010 population and housing census).

It is acknowledged that several methodological options are available in social research. But the choice of a research methodology is dependent largely on the objectives of the study [15] . This leads the discussion on research design, source of data, study population, sample size, data collection instruments, sampling techniques, data collection procedure, and methods of data analysis.

Data on the age of respondents were collected because the age of respondents was considered one of the key factors that influence development control practices, especially in the area of compliance. The result is presented in Table 2.

Data from the field, as presented in Table 2, indicates that the ages of most of the respondents ranged from 40 - 89 years. However, a considerable number of

Source: Authors’ construct, field survey, 2021.

them (21%) were between the ages of 70 - 79 years while only three percent of respondents (3%) were between the ages of 30 - 39. This clearly shows that most of the respondents were up to age in terms of understanding development control practices and regulations in the study area. Therefore, any information coming from them may be reliable.

The study considered gender as one of the essential components, even though it is largely observed that males own most houses. As shown in Figure 3, data from the field indicated that males owned the majority of the houses (72%) in the study area, with females owning only 28 percent of houses in the study area. Therefore, the fact that most homeowners are men reflects a traditional African society, where men are regarded as heads of households and as well function as caretakers of properties (houses and farmlands).

It is believed that an individual’s level of education has an impact on how person understands issues and observes activities in society. Therefore, understanding how development control activities are carried out is a step towards ensuring effective development control. The study considered the educational level of respondents as very crucial to achieving the objectives of physical development control. Therefore, it sought to find out the educational level of respondents and details are presented in Figure 4.

Data collected from the field, as shown in Figure 4, indicates that the majority of the respondents (59%) did not have formal education. Only 15%, 17%, and 9% had formal education up to the primary, JHS, and Tertiary levels, respectively. This is most likely going to affect development control practices and compliance level with regard to development control regulations.

The respondents’ employment status plays a significant role in relation to their ability to afford fees associated with acquiring development and building permits and even the pace at which houses can easily be built when permits are secured. The study, therefore, sought to enquire about the employment status of respondents with regard to the topic under study. The details are presented in Figure 5.

It can be observed from Figure 5, that the majority (73%) of the people were unemployed formally. However, most of them indicated that they were engaged in farming and other activities. Twenty-seven (27) percent of respondents stated that they had formal employment. This will affect their patronage of development control mechanisms, including permit acquisition, among others, since their income levels are most likely low.

The level of awareness of every initiative, policy or practice directly impacts on the patronage of that particular initiative or policy. Therefore, development control is considered crucial in the development of every geographic area, especially in this modern era where it has become necessary to prevent environmental and social problems associated with uncontrolled physical development. The study considered determining developer knowledge of development control regulations as one of the most basic ways of measuring development control in a given location. Moreover, the level of public awareness has a direct impact on compliance. As a result, residents of the township were asked if they were aware of statutory laws governing development control in Ghana with specific emphasis on the study area. The details are presented in Figure 6.

As presented in Figure 6, data from the field indicates that the majority (82%) of homeowners (developers) were not aware of regulations governing development control practices in Ghana with specific emphasis on the study area. On the other hand, a low number of respondents (18%) said that they were aware of statutory provisions regulating development control in the study area. This is, therefore, a clear indication that the awareness level of developers with regard to development control regulations is extremely low. This demonstrates that a problem exists regarding the level of awareness, and this is likely going to limit the ability of developers to acquire the necessary permits before embarking on physical development activities (construction activities) in the Savelugu Township. However, respondents who said they were not aware of these regulations attributed it to their low literacy level. Therefore, one can say that this will affect their level of compliance since they do not know these regulations exist to guide their activities, especially in areas where these laws are not effectively enforced.

According to Somiah (2014) [16] , building permits grant approval to prospective developers to build structures in approved locations. Therefore, in building a house or putting an improvement on land, obtaining a permit (development and building) is very critical. This is because these developments must be regulated in accordance with Town Planning regulations to prevent haphazard development and its associated challenges. The study used a survey to collect data on this issue. Respondents were questioned whether they acquired permits before developing their houses. Data obtained from the field is presented in Figure 7.

In Figure 7, 21 respondents indicated that they were aware of statutory provisions guiding development control. Out of the total number of 21 respondents (100%), 7 respondents (33%) said they obtained building permits before developing their houses. In terms of the stage at which they obtained these permits, respondents revealed that permits were acquired before putting improvements (buildings) on their lands. However, 14 respondents (67%) did not obtain permits before developing the houses on their land. It was interesting to unravel that some of these respondents inherited their houses and were not provided with any documents relating to permits obtained before these developments

were put on the land. Respondents who obtained permits made it known that these permits were obtained from the Savelugu municipal assembly. However, they complained of the cost involved and the bureaucratic nature of obtaining these permits. Authorities must therefore take a critical look at these issues raised. Respondents who did not obtain permits also indicated that the bureaucratic nature of the processes involved made them develop without obtaining a permit. They also mentioned that the cost involved in obtaining a permit was also a challenge, and went ahead to add that they were unable to raise enough funds to build their houses. This, as found by the study, was attributed to the low level of public education and ignorance on the part of developers. This demonstrates that much work still needs to be done by the Assembly to create awareness and enforce development control regulations in the Savelugu Township. Therefore, regulations guiding physical development must be given the needed attention by the appropriate authorities.

According to L. I (1630), any developer who intends to make any improvements, whether in the form of an extension, conversion, or both, must submit an application to the District Planning Authority for approval. This ensures that the land is appropriate for its intended use and that the structures are in a good state of repair. The study sought to determine whether some alterations were undertaken after they built their houses. This was necessary for the study because some retrofitting done after the initial design was developed, has become a major source of worry since most of these alterations encroached on buffers or lanes provided for access in these neighborhoods. The result is shown in Table 3 and Table 4, respectively.

Data from the field, as presented in Table 3, indicates that the majority of the respondents (82%) did not make alterations to their houses after their initial constructions or development. Therefore, this implies that lanes or buffers provided in these areas may still be available for access unless some new development encroaches on these spaces. However, only 21 respondents (18%) said that

Source: Field survey, 2021.

Source: Field survey, 2021.

they had done some alterations in one way or the other to their buildings. The study went further to inquire from them about whether permits were obtained with respect to such alterations. The details are shown in Table 4.

As presented in Table 4, the results show that none of the respondents who altered their building obtained a permit in that regard. This is, therefore, a source of worry since most of these developments, as observed from the field, was found on buffers or lanes provided in these neighborhoods for access. Respondents from the Assembly also made several contributions to this issue of permit acquisition before commencing development and on how they perform their duty regarding the processes involved in approving or disapproving an application. The following processes were identified; before issuing permits to developers, the institution examines the plan for issues such as conformity of development to the approved plan (zoning), the structural integrity of the drawings of building plans, community approval or consent, permit from other institutions on a specific type of development (fuel station), and finally, ownership status or title/lease of land. According to the Physical Planning Department of the municipal, the total number of permit applications received is less than 50 percent of the developments within each year. Table 5 summarizes building permit applications from 2019 to 2021 by the Physical Planning Department of the Savelugu Municipal Assembly.

From the applications received throughout these dates, there have been no rejections. Permits, on the other hand, are not automatically granted once an application is submitted. However, the ability of authorities to trace rejected applications to ensure that construction does not begin remains unknown. During the survey, it was also observed that most building permit applications are approved within the statutory three-month time frame, which is pretty satisfactory. This also suggests that the enforcement agencies are operating at a high level of efficiency.

Source: Field survey, 2021.

In determining the physical impact of uncontrolled physical development on the environment, the study found it necessary to assess the town’s current state of physical development. From the field, majority of the respondent (90%) indicated that their neighborhoods were not well planned and that developments were haphazardly done. Respondents made it known that uncontrolled physical development has contributed to the degradation of the environment and mentioned, building on waterways and poor drainage systems as the main causatives in the study area. This, according to the field survey, resulted in flooding in some parts of the town.

The impact of unregulated physical development should not be underestimated. Some of the consequences noted and mentioned by respondents as a result of this study are as follows:

1) Slum development or settlement; It was unraveled that the inability of regulatory authority to supervise development control practices effectively results in people building in unauthorized places leading to the emergence of slum settlements. This kind of development comes with its associated challenges, such as health and security issues.

2) Lack of enforcement of development control, building standards concerning the location of buildings and structural requirements have been disregarded; This has resulted in developers developing structures on and near waterways, pylons and other unauthorized areas. This confirms Blum et al.’s (1998) [18] findings that urban sprawl increases the risk of flooding. They added that wetlands which are the natural flood absorbing sponges are destroyed.

3) There is also a challenge with the provision of social and basic amenities; Basic social infrastructure such as access roads, schools, hospitals, markets, and utilities like pipe-borne water, electricity, and telecommunication facilities can easily be provided to all areas of the town where development is appropriately controlled and harmonized. Therefore, the uncontrolled nature in some parts of the study area has made it difficult for the Assembly to provide these services, and this affects people staying in those areas. This supports the findings of [19] that no human-use development can take place in an area unless water and sewers can be provided.

Also, unauthorized physical development poses challenges to the environment and the inhabitants. For instance, unauthorized developments on waterways result in flooding and other environmental challenges. Some of the causes of flooding as a result of unauthorized development as obtained from the respondents include building without permits, ignorance of the need to acquire a permit before development and inadequate monitoring of development. Therefore, institutions such as Savelugu Municipal Assembly, Land Use Planning and Spatial Authority, Lands Commission, Environmental Protection Agency must take the necessary steps to help mitigate these causes to ensure that physical development is appropriately regulated.

As part of assessing the physical impact of uncontrolled development on the environment, the study found it necessary to obtain data on the availability of vehicular access to premises in the vicinity. This will give an indication as to whether planning regulations were followed. The data is presented in Table 6.

Responses gathered from the field as presented in Table 6 shows that 111 respondents (94%) had vehicular access to their houses, whilst only 7 respondents (6%) did not have vehicular access to their homes. Therefore, this is an indication that most developers have not encroached on the buffers or lanes provided in these neighborhoods. However, this could be attributed to the case that most respondents, as already gathered, have not undertaken any alterations that could have led to them encroaching on access provided in the neighborhoods. Also, an observation made by the research team on the ground revealed that these responses did not reflect what was actually on the ground and cannot be entirely reliable since some neighborhoods were nucleated with inadequate access routes, and the details are shown in Plate 1 and Plate 2.

Respondents who mentioned that they did not have vehicular access to their homes attributed it to the poor drainage systems since some people have built on waterways and have now directed the water on to access roads provided.

Source: Field survey; 2021.

Plate 1. An aerial view of some neighborhoods in Savelugu showing an uncontrolled physical development. Source: Google earth image, 2021.

Plate 2. A close view of a neighborhood in Savelugu showing uncontrolled physical development. Source: Google earth image, 2021.

In addition, it was also observed that respondents who did not have vehicular access to their homes built their houses haphazardly without following the layouts of the area. This according to the Physical Planning Unit of the Savelugu Municipal Assembly resulted in the closing up of all demarcated routes in the neighborhoods. Therefore, regulatory authorities in charge of physical development control such as the Municipal Assembly, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), Lands Commission, among others, must collaborate with developers to ensure the development activities are regulated to ensure sustainability. The study considered the environment to include both built (brown) and natural environment (green).