BOI moves to unlock zoning and land rules to ease EEC investment bottlenecks

Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary-general of the Board of Investment (BOI), said the agency has already convened a special land subcommittee in early January 2026 to consider ways to address land shortages for investment projects—particularly targeted industries in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), where demand for land is high.

On initial measures to tackle insufficient land supply for investors in the EEC, he said the land subcommittee is coordinating with relevant agencies to focus on two key issues: speeding up zoning (town planning) issuance and resolving obstacles linked to public land routes, including some areas that are no longer in use.

Narit said agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning will present zoning and land data for target areas, enabling the meeting to identify constraints and develop solutions to “unlock” bottlenecks and plan next steps. He stressed that any action must remain within the relevant regulations.

He acknowledged that the land problem is especially acute in the EEC’s core areas. Large plots zoned for industry (the “purple” zone) are now very limited and expensive. While the BOI wants to steer investment into industrial estates—where infrastructure is ready and environmental oversight is more assured—large plots over 50 rai within estates are also becoming scarce, making it necessary to increase land supply.

He said many plots are constrained by public rights of way or public waterways that are no longer used, yet still appear on official maps. If these are not cleared, development would be illegal. However, removing such public-way or waterway designations can take no less than seven to eight years.

“Some projects have been stuck for more than 10 years because of this,” Narit said, adding that the process involves more than 10 steps, starting locally. Residents must agree, the local administrative body must approve, and the proposal must move through district and provincial levels before reaching the Department of Lands. Many projects stall because they do not even clear the local stage, leaving numerous investment projects affected—prompting the BOI to set up the subcommittee to work jointly on solutions.

The BOI will prioritise projects affected by land issues. Narit said there are more than 20 projects currently facing land constraints. As an initial step, the BOI will push projects already at the final stages of regulatory resolution to completion first, aiming to deliver results in early 2026.

For longer-term legal reform, he said the law reform committee will work on a permanent fix, noting that the existing Land Code is more than 70-80 years old and no longer keeps pace with global change, making updates necessary.

Beyond land shortages—especially in the EEC—the BOI also believes Thailand should consider opening new areas for investment so that investors are not concentrated only in the EEC. Narit cited the North as one potential region, noting an existing electronics cluster in Lamphun, with an industrial estate already in place and proximity to Chiang Mai International Airport, which could be developed into a cluster for semiconductors and electronics.

Another urgent priority, he said, is identifying suitable areas for the data centre industry. At present, many data centres are located in the EEC, particularly Chon Buri and Rayong, but the sector requires substantial electricity supply. The BOI is in discussions with the Energy Ministry on a “power map” to identify where spare electricity capacity is available, and then work jointly to pinpoint suitable locations for data centre investment.

He also pointed to the Northeast, which has ample land and labour, as another candidate region for opening new investment areas—particularly for industries that could use local raw materials or link to southern China, such as processed food and agricultural processing. He said these examples show that, alongside unlocking EEC bottlenecks, Thailand must also develop other suitable regions to support future industrial investment.