A four-metre-high concrete wall built around a private plot in the forest between Bridel and Steinsel is expected to be removed in January after the owner was found to have breached the building permit issued by the local commune. Residents first noticed the wall last January, when large concrete panels suddenly appeared around a site in the Cité Vaurée area.
The structure quickly sparked concern because of its scale and its location in woodland. Municipal officials later determined that the new owner of the parcel had not followed the authorised plans.
While the permit allowed for a boundary wall of up to around 1.5 metres, the owner erected a barrier more than four metres high, according to an enquiry.
"[The owner] put the plans to one side and built what he felt like”, Kopstal Mayor Thierry Schuman said in conversation with RTL, stressing that a building permit is a binding document that must be respected. The commune issued a stop-work order as a result.
Since then, the owner has repeatedly tried to submit revised plans, according to the mayor, in an attempt to obtain approval that would better match what has already been built. The commune has not accepted a compromise that would move away from the original permit conditions, he said.
The architect involved in the project told RTL the initial plans had been approved, but said the situation changed when the client came forward with new ideas. “We were a bit caught off guard by the client, and he decided to install the high concrete panels”, the architect said, adding he was glad the commune intervened and calling it the right decision.
The mayor said patience has been tested after months without progress, but indicated enforcement steps must be handled carefully. He noted winter conditions slow work on site and said he did not have a fixed deadline in mind, although he added the situation could not drag on indefinitely.
He also said the municipal council would need to be consulted before any legal escalation to ensure the commune remained on solid footing.
Under the latest plan outlined, the concrete panels are due to be taken away by an entrepreneur in January. In their place, only a small retaining wall is expected to remain, about 80cm high, positioned at the plot boundary to bridge a small embankment. That smaller wall would be finished with stone cladding, in line with local building rules.
The architect said he had never experienced a case like it, describing a prolonged stop-work order as being in nobody’s interest. He also suggested taking the matter to court would suit neither side.
