2023-10-07 17:45:00
The dream of a lifetime is gradually turning into a nightmare for Lisa and Niek. The young Belgian couple, originally from Herk-de-Stad (in the north of the country), materialized their love in the purchase of building land in Sint-Truiden for 100,000 euros. But when they wanted to build their future cocoon, their building permit was simply canceled by the Flemish government.
of videos
The reason ? The land they acquired is in a flood zone. A problem… which was not one during the purchase in March 2021. “It was not at all a reason not to be able to build in this location”, affirm Lisa and her companion in the columns of Belang van Limburg. They even add that there have never been any floods on the street in question, the neighbors say!
Yes, but now, just after their purchase, a terrible tragedy marked Belgium in its flesh: the floods of summer 2021 which ravaged Liège and Limburg. Since then, Flanders has tightened its building rules, with particular attention to flood zones. It is therefore now possible to prohibit any construction on certain lands by changing their zone.
Heavy consequences
Sint-Truiden is currently working on setting up this system. Although it has not yet been finalized or approved, it still has “serious consequences” for Niek and Lisa. Added to the disillusionment of never seeing their house built is the anger of having spent a large sum of money for nothing. “We now have to pay back a loan for something we will never benefit from. »
To prevent other people from finding themselves in similar situations, the Flemish Minister of the Environment, Zuhal Demir, is now asking real estate agents and notaries to be clearer in explaining the new planning rules for areas floodable.
For Niek and Lisa, the only “good news” is the planning compensation they will receive after the rezoning of their land. “This compensation amounts to 80% of the difference between the amount we paid during the purchase and the new sales value after the zoning change. So we are losing a lot of money, because we have also lost tens of thousands of euros for the notary, the architect, the lawyer, the increase in materials, etc. », moans Lisa.
1696705142
#repay #loan #benefit #photo