Surrounded by a cafe and dog run?!

[Hayabubu]

I have a small home in a quiet valley clearing to the north of Kyoto. There are 4 other dwellings with permanent residents most of whom have been there 20 years, and one house used as a besso. I bought my land and had the house built 4 years ago. The remaining land is owned by the log house company who built all our houses and this is divided into 6 lots which have yet to be sold or developed.

It seems that the owner of a chain of bakeries in Kyoto is under discussion to buy ALL of the lots and develop it into a bakery, dog run and carpark. Their plans will have me surrounded on all four sides as my land is in the middle of the undeveloped plots, although I will still have an access way to my land. The land owner is obviously eager to sell all his land and sod the rest of us who are already living there.

Is this something that is possible under Japanese law? I know Japanese zoning laws are fairly lax but could someone potentially do this?
Do we residents have any rights to oppose such a development?

I hope someone might have some insight as the situation is really worrying me

[RetireJapan]

One possible mitigating factor is that bakeries tend to close fairly early, so they would likely only bother you in the daytime.

Not great as you are used to your peace and quiet, but it could be worse!

[Nancy]

Sounds like a very difficult situation for you. Maybe you can go to the city or village office and see how the land is zoned. It sounds like at the moment it is residential, and they plan to use it as a commercial type of use. I have heard about a case before where people bought land which was zoned as for agriculture use, and it took forever for the city to rezone it into residential. Also though, if the landowner has a lot of pull with the zoning board, it might become easily rezoned...It might be good though to make a lot of noise now, before anything is decided. If you are known as a difficult person, they may reconsider the sale etc. Good luck!

[adamu]

Maybe you can go to the city or village office and see how the land is zoned.

You can see it here:

https://keikan-gis.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kyo ... nning/main

[Hayabubu]

Sounds like a very difficult situation for you. Maybe you can go to the city or village office and see how the land is zoned. It sounds like at the moment it is residential, and they plan to use it as a commercial type of use. I have heard about a case before where people bought land which was zoned as for agriculture use, and it took forever for the city to rezone it into residential. Also though, if the landowner has a lot of pull with the zoning board, it might become easily rezoned...It might be good though to make a lot of noise now, before anything is decided. If you are known as a difficult person, they may reconsider the sale etc. Good luck!

It shouldn’t be difficult for me to be known as difficult seeing as I’m the only gaijin in the village..

[Hayabubu]

Maybe you can go to the city or village office and see how the land is zoned.

You can see it here:

https://keikan-gis.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kyo ... nning/main

That’s an interesting site so thanks for that. I’m not really sure how to read the information to be honest as my place is right out in the inaka in Keihoku - the map is all white there

[Nancy]

These are just some ideas going though my head, and something might be helpful. A friend successfully prevented a golf course from being built in his neighborhood, by neighborhood petitions and a long campaign with the city office. He was successful, but probably it had more to do with the bubble bursting in the 1990s. However, by being able to delay the process of the development stage, it worked in his favor. In the US, I have heard of people protesting due to the increase in traffic that would result from a new business/store, and if the roads are wide enough to handle all of the cars etc. If there is a school near by, it could be a safety issue to have increased traffic. The other would be the water supply, and if there is enough to supply a factory. (also sewage etc... if there is the infrastructure.) Besides the change in zoning. If you could find something environmental...some endangered species living in the area which might be affected (with the golf course it was the use of chemicals to maintain the course and how the run-off would effect the environment which was the big selling point.) Just to share....

[captainspoke]

Anecdotal, but I once looked at some property very close to us, maybe only 200 meters away. It had an old, crumbling house on it, and cheap at the time, but a big road has since gone in, it was close to that, and the plans for that were public. I figured the road would eventually boost the value, etc. Someone else bought it, removed the house, and built new. And the road went in.

But it turned out there was another parcel more or less next to it, and some low key/small construction company built a 'temporary' structure on that--no foundation, just pipework all clamped together and then covered with (ugly) corrugated metal, and a makeshift set of doors on the front. A little bigger than a one car garage. And then various things accumulated in piles outside, e.g, the stuff used for scaffolding/ashiba. That sort of thing. Small trucks often parking in front of it.

Pretty unfortunate for the folks that bought and built on that parcel (and a couple other neighbors right there, too). I never heard of any requests for change or complaints. Probably not much could be done.

[RetireJapan]

My impression is that zoning in Japan is much less restrictive than it is in some countries. Probably the only effective way to keep those four plots empty would be to buy them yourself

[Hayabubu]

Just for reference, this is the proposed development. We’re in a tiny clearing, my place is in the middle. I understand that it may come across like I’m being a nimby but I put all the money I had into buying the land and having the house built. I live in a small house with my husband and his mother so it’s my bolthole to get away and have my own space at the weekends. It just seems an unreasonable plan to me.