By Jude Njoku & Kingsley Adegboye

•Complex should have complementary uses like hotels
•Master plan should be reviewed to determine its relevance       …
Why did the Federal Government wait for about 40 years of the existence of the National Arts Theatre  before deciding to commence the full implementation of the original master plan of the complex? Is the master-plan upon which the Government is now hinging its decision to build a five-star hotel and shopping mall at the complex still relevant in present day Nigeria?

Will the Federal Government construct more roads into the complex to complement the existing ones or will it be integrated into the Lagos/Badagry Expressway redevelopment being undertaken by the Lagos State Government?” These were some of the posers raised by settlement experts who spoke to Vanguard Homes & Property on the proposed redevelopment of the National Arts Theatre at Iganmu, Lagos.

News broke last week that the Federal Government, as part of its tourism drive, plans to redevelop the National arts Theatre complex to incorporate a five-star hotel, a shopping mall and a multi-level car park.  The proposed redevelopment, according to Ministry of Tourism officials,  was contained in the original master plan of the complex which was built by Messrs Technoexportsroy, a Bulgarian construction company.

Built environment experts who reacted to the proposed redevelopment, noted that although it would boost economic activities in the area, the adverse effects should be looked into and steps taken to mitigate them.

National theatre, Lagos

A former President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, NITP,  Mr. Wahab Kadiri stressed the need to have a second look at the master plan because the assumptions upon which they were made, might have changed drastically.

“The relocation of the Federal capital from Lagos to Abuja will affect the concept that was there before. What I am saying in effect is that a bad plan is better than no plan at-all. However, there is always need for revision of plans because your assumptions would have changed, and the basis for the thinking would have changed,” he said.

Kadiri who is a former Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, advised the government to take the flood-prone terrain of Iganmu into consideration. “Whoever is going to deal with the complex must first of all deal with the problem of drainage in that area because that is the greatest challenge in that area. Nobody can take that place out of Badia and Ijora in terms of their flood problems. The larger environment should also be taken into consideration,” he said.

The former NITP boss called on the Government to make the original master plan available to experts who will study it to ascertain whether  its implementation is still necessary today.

In his own reaction, the Vice President, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria, ATOPCON, Mr. Moses Ogunleye stated that although building a five-star hotel and shopping mall will  up boost the economic viability of the under-utilized complex, he posited that it would compound the traffic problems in the area.

“The National Arts Theatre is a museum. It is an architectural icon and a major land use development in Lagos. A major urban design element such as the National Arts Theatre is what you identify Lagos with. But the facility has been under utilized in the last three decades, may because the Federal capital was moved to Abuja, which is still part of planning and management. About the plans to add other uses such as hotel and shopping mall to the complex, ordinarily, the development of that nature should have complementary uses such as hotel and shopping mall.

In fact, the complex should be part of tourism element of Lagos State because it is a massive facility that needs to be fully utilized. But if they had this plan of building a five-star hotel and a shopping mall within the complex, why did the government wait till about after 40 years of existence of the complex before deciding to commence the full implementation of the original master plan of the complex? May be they will tell you lack of funds was the reason.

The land use scenario around the area must have changed. I am sure that some of the roads that were not taken into consideration during the construction of the complex , will be an issue now because there must be accessibility to the new complex and its environs. A five-star hotel is massive with its other ancillary services.

Also, a shopping mall will naturally attract crowd to its location. So, by the addition of these two gigantic projects within the complex coupled with the massive National Arts Theatre itself, accessibility into and out of the complex will definitely pose a major challenge to the area. In order words, the present roads in and out of the place will need to be increased,” he said.

Continuing, Ogunleye who is also a past chairman of NITP,  Lagos chapter, said: “looking at the implication of the proposed development, traffic is one area that should be looked into. That is, how accessible will the place be? Are they going to construct more roads into the complex to complement the existing ones or is the new project going to be integrated into the Lagos/Badagry Expressway redevelopment by Lagos State Government?”

The General Secretary of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers NIESV, Mr. Kunle Awolaja described the proposed redevelopment as a welcome move so long as the National arts Theatre would still be there.

Although, Awolaja stated that information at his disposal was still sketchy, he declared: “If what I read on Yahoo this morning that it is for the purpose of regeneration is a fact, then it is a welcome development. It is the standard practice all over the world where we have Theatres to also have complementary services like hotels and elevated car parks  within the same vicinity so that people can come into the place unnoticed and move out unnoticed.”

Awolaja however warned against commercializing the facility or selling it to private individuals as was the case with Daily Times of Nigeria, DTN.

Contract for the construction of the National  Arts Theatre was signed on April 24, 1973 with Messrs Technoexportsroy, a Bulgarian construction company. This might have been informed by the fact the design for the edifice was taken from the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varma, Bulgaria. that the  called  the main contractors for the building of the complex.

A 29-member Theatre Consultative Committee set up by the General Yakubu Gowon-led Federal Government to advise on the concept and organisational structure of a theatre, had recommended the establishment of a National Theatre which should also be the home of a National Troupe.

Presently the National Theatre has a main hall, a conference/banquet hall, exhibition halls, two cinema halls and a VIP lounge. There is also a roof garden. The main hall which is capable of seating 5,000 people,  consists of a collapsible stage and an auditorium. The Conference/Banquet hall is specially designed and equipped for conferences and banquets of international standard. It has a capacity for 1,500 seats.