It seems that the local Amphur is considering putting a new road along the back of our plot - No problems there, it's their land.

But they also want to add a connecting soi, and to do that they need to purchase land from both sides of an existing route that runs between us and a neighbour.

My understanding is that this is merely a proposal, but that it is considered an improvement the moo baarn would like to have (it has some advantages for us, not leas that it will force the Amphur to install a proper rain culvet.

So, anyone have any experience of how this would go and how price is negotiated?

It seems that the local Amphur is considering putting a new road along the back of our plot - No problems there, it's their land.

But they also want to add a connecting soi, and to do that they need to purchase land from both sides of an existing route that runs between us and a neighbour.

My understanding is that this is merely a proposal, but that it is considered an improvement the moo baarn would like to have (it has some advantages for us, not leas that it will force the Amphur to install a proper rain culvet.

So, anyone have any experience of how this would go and how price is negotiated?

I was talking to my new neighbor yesterday. He is building a new home next to a piece of land I own. He and three of his former neighbors hajust been displaced by a highway widening project, and in that characteristic fashion, that I just love about some Thais, he was proclaiming his gratitude that he had another piece of land to go to, which his neighbors did not.

Anyway, he had a little over a 100wah on the primary N/S artery between Ching Mai and Chiang Rai, at the northern city limit. They gave him a 1,000,000 baht and a date to be gone. Now here's the thing that really got me. They left him with a strip of 14 wah which they said they didn't need. So now he's got this worthless strip of land that he wasn't compensated for and that others will no doubt use for parking, and they avoided paying him for his true loss. I'm sorry I don't know how the prices were arrived at, but it sure seemed a "here's what we're giving you" sort of deal. It would not surprise me to learn that someone in the office is making a handsome income taking in what they're prepared to pay, and paying out what he can get others to accept. My only point here is, don't let then stick you with something that has lost value to the point you can't use it, without being fully compensated, if you can help it.

Perhaps an appraisal or two and some comparablen salesfrom the area might bolster your "negotiating" position. Good Luck.

Thanks for the feedback.

The bit of land they want is only a matter of 3-4 meters wide, so I'm not expecting any huge payout.

One of my main concerns was, the land is held under a Chonote that has never been divided (we have 10 Rai (ish).

It is conceavable that at a future date we may wish to subdivide to sell - This can only happen 16 times(?) or so I understand.

So effectively a tiny strip of land is denying us a 1/16th partition at a later sale date.

Anyway, it's not a big issue right now, and I suspect it is only a proposal - They undoubtedly have other routes (ie completely through our neighbour's plot), but I would like to work it so that the Amphur takes care of sorting out a drain issue that we shall otherwise have to deal with.