Forest Setback Regulations Constitute Material Expropriation

This case concerns material expropriation arising from forest setback regulations stipulated by building law. The court's decision, referencing a prior ruling (BGE 96 I 123), likely addressed a situation where property owners claimed their land was effectively rendered unusable or significantly devalued due to these setbacks, thus constituting an expropriation requiring compensation, even without a formal taking of the property itself. The court's reasoning would have analyzed whether the building law's restrictions on land use, specifically concerning forest proximity, imposed a burden so substantial that it amounted to a deprivation of essential property rights, thus triggering compensation obligations.