Legal Definitions - compulsory purchase

Definition: Compulsory purchase is a legal process where the government or a public authority acquires privately owned land or property without the owner's consent. This is usually done for public purposes such as building roads, railways, or other infrastructure projects.

Example: The government wants to build a new highway that will pass through a privately owned farm. The owner of the farm does not want to sell the land, but the government can use compulsory purchase to acquire it for the project.

Explanation: In this example, the government is using compulsory purchase to acquire the land for a public purpose, which is the construction of a new highway. The owner of the farm does not have a choice in the matter and must sell the land to the government. This is because the government has the power of eminent domain, which allows them to take private property for public use as long as they provide fair compensation to the owner.