The cabinet yesterday approved the new draft Town and City Planning Act, which overhauls the country's urban planning process.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the new draft, which will replace the existing Town and City Planning Act of 1975, will divide town planning into national, regional and provincial levels and allow local administrative organisations to take part in town planning. It also requires public hearings and participation of local communities.
Under the new measures, town planning would be handled by three boards: a national-level board chaired by the prime minister or deputy prime minister; a regional-level board chaired by the interior minister and a provincial-level one chaired by the provincial governor.
The national board will be responsible mainly for providing guidelines and policies on national-level town and city planning including the criteria for land use, while the regional board will take charge of supervising and approving the town and city planning proposed by each province and the Public Works Department.
The provincial-level board will oversee town and city planning proposed by local administrative organisations.
The new draft will have no time limit for the enforcement of each level of town planning, but require evaluations every five years.
Under the current act such planning is subject to expiry every five years, leading developers to capitalise on the loophole while the new plan comes into force.
The new draft will later go before the Council of State and the National Legislative Assembly. It is expected to come into force next year.
Critics have long called for amendments to the Town and City Planning Act, saying it failed to foster real public participation and overlooked conservation.
Issara Boonyoung, honorary president of the Housing Business Association, said the new act would benefit the country as a whole as it would designate areas suitable for development.
"The new act will have a national committee to oversee city planning and set general standards. Each province will then have clear guidelines and its own framework to set city planning," he said.