They bought a house in Copenhagen to have their own home. Now they fear that the city council's people will intrude into the garden.

The three neighbors in the housing quarter in Husum are in agreement that the environment should improve.

However, they have difficulty understanding why exactly they and other neighbors in the Copenhagen housing quarter should look forward to paying with their private lives and property rights for the improvement of the Harrestrup Å water environment.

They are some of the 18 property owners in the neighborhood around Kildeløbet and Åvendingen in Husum, who believe that their properties may be affected in the coming years by what they consider an expropriation.

Therefore, the municipal utility company HOFOR, on behalf of Copenhagen Municipality, has plans to establish a subterranean basin on a green area in the middle of the neighborhood. According to them, the basin is "as large as Rundetårn."

A project that requires HOFOR to have control over their matriculation records.

Currently, they are considering that, according to the plan from 2026 and some years ahead, they will only in limited capacity have control over their own gardens.

The large basin at the intersection of the two roads is intended to help ensure that there are no overflow, where wastewater from sewers runs directly into Harrestrup Å.

However, the neighbors feel neglected in connection with the project. In addition, Henrik Ingemann Andersen, Michael Elgaard, Martin Rosdahl Njie and their families are concerned about whether they will ultimately be financially compensated for the inconvenience.

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Building site on the property

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The project is not yet finalized and ready to start. Among other things, there has not been a environmental impact assessment.

Henrik Ingemann Andersen from Kildeløbet received a message from the Technical and Environmental Administration of Copenhagen Municipality in 2023 about the possibility that "... it may be necessary to temporarily include a part of your property area."

Whether it is to build screens for noise or dust, move fences or allow cranes to swing their arms over the property.

In the same way, the municipality informs that "a temporary construction site will be established, where it will be necessary temporarily to take over the use rights of the affected matriculation records for example for access roads, crane lifts and construction site in the construction phase."

"Final intervention on the affected matriculation records can be carried out through expropriation or through voluntary agreements on expropriation-like terms," it says.

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In "a limbo"

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Henrik Ingemann Andersen tells that he and his wife bought their house in 1999.

"We wanted our own. That was why we bought the house," he says:

"I don't care about the thought of others just using my land."

His tenant Martin Rosdahl Njie talks about being in "a limbo," where the final extent of the project is still unknown.

"We don't know if we are bought or sold," he tells.

It is the municipality that decides whether a property will be completely or partially expropriated, explains the Social Democratic member of the Technical and Environmental Committee Niels E. Bjerrum.

He adds that the municipality rarely uses expropriation.

"Only if there is talk of large infrastructure projects that have social significance," he says:

"There must be heavy-weighting arguments."

The Technical and Environmental Administration informs in a written response to Berlingske that there has not yet been a decision on expropriation in what is called the Spangen project, which the 16,400 cubic meter large basin at Kildeløbet and Åvendingen is a part of.

The administration also informs that they have not yet received an application for expropriation from HOFOR.

This must be politically handled, and if it ends with expropriation, it will result in compensation.

"The compensation amount depends on whether there is talk of a servitude with limitations for future use, or if there is talk of a real transfer of an area," the administration explains.

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Loss of millions

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Michael Elgaard from Åvendingen can talk about it all around the corner.

He and his wife were otherwise in sales mode for their house, bought in 2002, but have now put it on hold due to the expropriation hanging over their heads.

"We are still thinking about selling, but now it is with the expropriation hanging over our heads," he says.

Michael Elgaard estimates immediately that it can reduce the sales value by half a million to two million kroner.

"But I guess it will be almost impossible to sell, as long as it is still there."

Henrik Ingemann Andersen does not think about selling, "as it is now."

Michael Elgaard fears that they will have problems with being able to park their cars in front of the house while the construction work is in progress, and he is concerned about how often cranes will swing over the property.

He has been informed by HOFOR and the Technical and Environmental Administration that "a construction crane may possibly swing over your matriculation." If it is without load, they can stay on their property. But if it is with load, HOFOR "will have to fence off the area."

"But in that case it will only be temporary and by agreement with you," it says.

Which also concerns Henrik Ingemann Andersen:

"Can one just get a message that on a certain day you can't use your garden or be in your house because the crane is swinging?"

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Living with it

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The three neighbors wonder why they have not yet heard anything about a form of compensation.

Martin Rosdahl Njie refers to the neighbors of the metro construction in several cases being compensated for noise and other inconveniences.

"We have not been offered anything," adds Michael Elgaard:

"If we are not, then we will not get anything either."

Henrik Ingemann Andersen tells that they have so far been informed that they will not be compensated.

The neighbors from Husum direct their criticism at city hall and not HOFOR, as they consider the politicians to be the highest responsible for the city's sewage plans.

Niels E. Bjerrum can, as his party colleague Marcus Vesterager from the technical and environmental committee, not immediately evaluate whether the residents of Husum are living up to the requirements for receiving compensation for expropriation.

He refers to the guidelines for compensation being set through legislation from Christiansborg.

Marcus Vesterager is, as a political representative, part of what is called the stedsforretninger, which among other things deals with cases of expropriation.

Both politicians emphasize that the economic compensation for changed property rights over a property is typically not particularly large.

But must one not be able to tolerate that the public sometimes has to come onto one's land and work?

"Yes, one must be able to tolerate. If it is in the common interest," says Marcus Vesterager.

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The lawyer's warning

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In Husum, Henrik Ingemann Andersen also agrees that there is more at stake than private property rights.

"But we are not convinced that this is the best solution, that our property will be included," he says:

"I think honestly, we have claims for one or another form of compensation, when we lose something of our control. Sam society imposes some demands on us, and I think honestly, society can give something the other way."

What they are not convinced of is that this project is the best.

So far, they have unsuccessfully tried to explain why an alternative project without the large basin has not been chosen.

"We lack a good explanation for why it ended up with this decision, and so there should be a compensation," underlines Henrik Ingemann Andersen.

Back in 2023, he was at city hall to discuss the neighbors' case with members of the technical and environmental committee, they have also submitted hearing statements, and they have been in contact with the local council.

"I think we have tried," he says.

They have also had a meeting with a lawyer.

"We were told that when we were up against HOFOR and Copenhagen Municipality, there was not much we could do," remembers Michael Elgaard.

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