Le droit de l’urbanisme en Belgique

Abstract

In Belgium, town planning is ruled by three different regional laws. The country is indeed a federal state composed, among others, of three Regions : the Brussels-Capital Region, the Walloon Region and the Flemish Region, which are notably in charge of town planning, environment, etc.The applicable law in each region is :in the Brussels-Capital Region : the « Code bruxellois de l’aménagement du territoire » (Brussels town planning code) or « COBAT » ;in the Walloon Region : the « Code wallon de l’aménagement du territoire, de l’urbanisme et du patrimoine » (Walloon town and country planning and heritage code) or « CWATUP » ;in the Flemish Region : the 18th of May 1999 « Decreet houdende de organisatie van de ruimtelijke ordening » (Flemish Act organizing town planning) or « DRO ».Before the regionalisation, town planning was ruled by a national act : the 29th of March 1962 town and country planning organic act. The three regional laws are largely inspired by this act. Therefore, despite de growing differences between the three Regions, the basic principles and the structure of the regional legislations are quite similar.So, in the three regions, the town planning legislation organises mainly :a planning system :The regional laws organise a planning system, based on different types of plans (spatial plans and operational plans) at each scale of the territory (region, province, municipality). Spatial plans allocate each parcel of land to an use : housing, industry, agriculture, forest, etc. At the local level, they also define town planning rules (size of the buildings, shape of the roofs, aesthetic of the constructions, etc.). Operational plans define the aims of the Region or the municipality and the means to reach them.The whole territory of Belgium is covered by regional plans (« plan régional d’affectation du sol », PRAS) » in Brussels, « plan de secteur » in Wallonia, « Gewest Plan » in Flanders (respectively, « regional allotment plan », « sector plan » and « sector plan »).a permit system :In each Region, a planning permission, generally asked to the municipality, is necessary for different acts and works (to build a new construction, to modify an existing construction, to cut trees, etc.).A permit is also necessary to divide a piece of land in parcels which are meant to be sold with the intention to build housing on it (plot division permit).a system of planning rules :Planning rules relating to the characteristics of the constructions (size, roofs, materials, etc.), the accessibility for disabled persons, the habitability standards, etc. can be enacted at the regional and the municipal level.a system of sanction in case of breach of the plans, permits or planning rules.