Wallonia declares the public utility of expropriation for the Sambreville bridge

The Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge) of September 17, 2026, publishes a ministerial decree of August 28, 2026, declaring the public utility of the acquisition of the land parcels necessary for the reconstruction of the Basse Sambre bridge, within the territory of the City of Sambreville. The text, signed in Namur by the Vice-President and Minister of Territory, Infrastructure, Mobility, and Local Authorities, F. Desquesnes, bears the reference C − 2026/006689 and appears on page 50601. In the absence of an amicable transfer, the designated parcels will be expropriated.

The decree originates from the Public Service of Wallonia. Article 1 provides that public utility requires, “to allow for the reconstruction of the Basse Sambre bridge in Sambreville,” the acquisition of the land parcels listed in expropriation plan number F.G.9.903.2507.E1A. Article 2 specifies that in the absence of an amicable transfer, these parcels will be expropriated in accordance with the judicial procedure established by the decree of November 22, 2018, relating to the expropriation procedure.

The table of land parcels

Plan F.G.9.903.2507.E1A is accompanied by a table of land parcels for the municipality of Sambreville, division 4, section A. The published table, reproduced as an extract, identifies the concerned owners with their domicile, the nature and cadastral area of the parcel, as well as the area to be expropriated:

• Autonomous Port of Namur, cadastral parcel 106W, 3/ Place Léopold in 5000 Namur: 30 ares 00 centiares cadastral, 3 centiares to be expropriated.
• Municipality of Sambreville, parcel 106/3, 1/ Grand-Place in 5060 Sambreville: 77 ares 92 centiares cadastral, 1 are 27 centiares to be expropriated.
• Fluxys Belgium, parcel 107L, 31/ Avenue des Arts in 1040 Brussels: 1 are 21 centiares cadastral, 32 centiares to be expropriated.
• Flore Slowack and Ferdinand Desneux, parcel 107R: 30 ares 57 centiares cadastral, 68 centiares to be expropriated.

A procedure governed by the 2018 Walloon decree

The measure falls under the decree of November 22, 2018, relating to the expropriation procedure, which organizes the judicial route when amicable negotiation does not succeed. The declaration of public utility constitutes the first step: it authorizes the administration to negotiate, and then, in case of failure, to petition the judge to transfer ownership of the land parcels.

The text is published as an extract, signed F. Desquesnes in Namur on August 28, 2026, and is located in the “Walloon Region” section of the Belgian Official Gazette.

What this changes for Sambreville property owners

For local residents and the owners of the affected plots, publication in the Moniteur belge triggers the legal effects of the declaration of public utility. However, the areas to be expropriated remain limited — from 3 to 127 centiares according to the footprints listed in the table —, which corresponds to strips of land necessary for the project rather than entire plots.

Owners who refuse an amicable agreement expose themselves to the judicial procedure provided for by the decree of November 22, 2018, with the indemnity to be determined by the judge.

The reconstruction of the Basse Sambre bridge is thus legally underway: the concerned owners in Sambreville now have an official framework to negotiate an amicable transfer, prior to the potential opening of expropriation proceedings before the courts.

Source: Moniteur belge of September 17, 2026, ministerial decree of August 28, 2026, reference C − 2026/006689, p. 50601.