Residential Building Development Compliance with Landscape Requirements of Oyo State Laws

Landscape requirements in residential building development, encompassing setbacks, site coverage ratios, open space provision, soft landscaping, and buffer zones, are among the most consistently violated planning standards in Oyo State, Nigeria. Built Environment Professionals (BEPs) occupy a gatekeeping role in the compliance chain, yet their specific relationship to landscape requirements remains underexplored in the literature. This paper synthesises published literature to assess the state of compliance with landscape requirements in Oyo State residential development, with particular focus on the structural position of BEPs within the compliance system, and to develop evidence-grounded recommendations for reform. A systematic narrative synthesis was conducted across Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, and African Journals Online. Seventy-two sources were identified; forty-one met the inclusion criteria and were retained for synthesis. The evidence reveals: a legal framework whose provisions are substantially adequate but inconsistently documented and partially extrapolated from neighbouring states; pervasive non-compliance, with site coverage and setback violations most severe; a knowledge-practice gap among BEPs that is inferred rather than directly measured, shaped by client pressure, inadequate training, and unclear inter-professional accountability; and weak institutional enforcement as the dominant barrier, followed by professional capacity deficits and economic pressures. However, direct evidence on BEP-specific practices remains a critical gap. Durable improvement requires simultaneous reform across the professional, institutional, and systemic dimensions of development control. Targeted CPD for BEPs, strengthened professional disciplinary mechanisms, post-completion inspection investment, and GIS-assisted enforcement are the most evidence-grounded interventions.

Landscape Compliance, Residential Building Development, Built Environment Professionals, Development Control, Oyo State Physical Planning

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