Verviers: expropriation of properties on rue de Francomont and rue des Hospices validated

The Walloon Public Service declared of public utility, by two decisions dated June 29, 2026, the expropriation of real estate located in Verviers, rue de Francomont and rue des Hospices, with a view to the demolition of the buildings they contain and the development of a flood expansion zone with riverbank renaturation. The two decrees are published by extract in the Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge) No. 239 of October 20, 2026, pages 56636 to 56640, under references C − 2026/007635 and C − 2026/007636. The City of Verviers is expressly authorized to proceed with these expropriations.

The two texts follow an identical framework: declaration of public utility, adoption of the annexed expropriation plan, notification by registered mail, municipal publicity, and transmission to the competent acquisition committee. Each specifies that the decree “enters into force on the day of its signature,” namely June 29, 2026, as the publication in the Belgian Official Gazette did not occur until nearly four months later, on October 20, 2026.

Rue de Francomont: three parcels, three addresses

The first decision (C − 2026/007635) concerns properties registered in Verviers, 8th division, section B, and targets the following numbers:

• parcels no. 495B2, 495E2, and 495F2;
• addresses concerned: rue de Francomont no. 12+, 14+, and 14+;
• expropriation plan dated May 26, 2025, drawn up by Mr. R. Sandu, surveyor and urban planner for the City of Verviers, under reference “TP9/10/22”.

Rue des Hospices: two additional parcels

The second decision (C − 2026/007636), of the same object and date, concerns a neighboring perimeter:

• properties registered in Verviers, 2nd division, section B, no. 130/2G and 130/2H;
• addresses targeted: rue des Hospices no. 63/65 and no. 67/69;
• expropriation plan dated September 3, 2025, also drawn up by Mr. R. Sandu, under reference “TP9/10/22 - Hospices”.

Amicable negotiation, notifications, and publicity

The two decrees organize the remainder of the procedure symmetrically:

• notification by registered mail to the expropriator, the Government, and the Administration, namely the SPW Territory, Housing, Heritage and Energy, Directorate of Operational Planning and the City;
• notification to the SPW Real Estate Acquisition Committee for a final negotiation and an attempt at an amicable transfer;
• publication for thirty days on the municipality’s website(s) and, failing that, at the usual posting locations;
• publication by extract in the Belgian Official Gazette.

The impact for the occupants and owners of the buildings concerned is direct: as the public utility has been established, the City of Verviers possesses the legal title to expropriate the designated plots, although an amicable phase must still be attempted by the acquisition committee before any forced transfer. Furthermore, residents of Rue de Francomont and Rue des Hospices have a thirty-day municipal notice period to review the exact perimeter as set out in the attached plans.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge) No. 239 of October 20, 2026, p. 56636-56640, references C − 2026/007635 and C − 2026/007636.