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compulsory purchase

British  

noun

  1. purchase of a house or other property by a local authority or government department for public use or to make way for development, regardless of whether or not the owner wishes to sell

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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The taskforce has recommended new towns are delivered by development corporations, which could have special planning powers to compulsory purchase land, invest in local services, and grant planning permission.

From BBC Sep. 27, 2025

They were served with a compulsory purchase order and bailiffs were brought in.

From BBC Oct. 26, 2023

The government bought the building in Braunau am Inn near the German border under a compulsory purchase order in 2016 after a lengthy dispute.

From BBC May 23, 2023

"We encourage people affected by compulsory purchase to take professional advice early to support their claims."

From BBC Mar. 15, 2023

The municipalities are the authority for administering sanitary and housing laws; they have no power of compulsory purchase of land without a special law.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various

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