City Hall's attempts to pass a new city planning blueprint to replace one used for a decade have hit repeated snags over the past four years. Such delays have upset commercial developers, who will likely benefit from the proposed changes.
The latest blueprint -- prepared by city town planners and academics from Chulalongkorn University -- reportedly revises land use codes to enable developers to build affordable condos in urban areas.
For example, part of the green zone -- low-lying land in western areas of Thon Buri -- reserved for flood absorption will be changed into a yellow zone that allows more commercial developers.
The new draft also requires 148 sois to be subjected to a road enlargement policy. In other words, these roads are slated to be widened to more than 10 metres. This will allow developers to build highrises in small soi areas.
City Hall claims this will grant communities better access to mass transit systems and improve public spaces and pavements.
Such a pro-development plan raises questions about the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) direction under governor Chadchart Sittipunt.
Last week, the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC) and Bangkok community representatives sent a letter to Mr Chadchart asking him to halt a public hearing on its new city planning blueprint. If BMA does not listen, TCC will lodge a complaint with the Administrative Court next month, arguing that the city planning blueprint and public hearings violate the Town Planning Act.
The Town Planning Act 2019 -- the first update to the law in 44 years -- enshrines a community's right to be informed and meaningfully participate in such development.
Section 9 of the law requires the administration to set up education campaigns, public hearings, and consultations with affected communities.
The law stipulates that public hearings on city planning must consider the potential impact on residents and that people must be provided with sufficient information regarding measures to ease any ill effects.
They also violate Section 72 of the constitution, which stipulates that any town planning should meet the needs of the people in the area.
The BMA must listen to critics and communities. Currently, it is only showing a bureaucratic mindset in trying to wrap up the process.
Passing town planning approvals should not just be the business of land developers and city draftsmen. It should be a democratic process in which residents -- especially those who will be negatively impacted -- are informed beforehand and given a chance to air their views.
City town planning is not just about mapping out land. It needs to be a collective vision of Bangkok's future land use.
The draft, in its current form, raises questions about the capital's outlook. Instead of increasing green areas to deal with floods, the draft reduces green areas on the city's outskirts. Instead of making Bangkok light and less crowded, the new plan simply encourages the enlargement of small sois, which will only increase high-rise condos and traffic congestion.
The governor must respect the democratic process by delaying the ongoing hearing and giving affected communities more time to process information.
The BMA should wait and listen instead of rushing and repenting later.