Bonheiden - Redesign of village centre

The municipal authorities of Bonheiden are looking for a designer to transform the area around the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk church in the heart of the village into a climate-resilient space where people can spend time. In order to able to realize the ambitions for the Kerkplein church square, a (mobility) strategy will also have to be drawn up at neighbourhood-level that elaborates on the concepts from the mobility plan. The assignment also includes an intensive participation and communication process to achieve a widely supported transformation. The municipality has allocated an implementation budget of €2,000,000 (excl. VAT and fees) for this project. 

The square around the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk church forms the village centre of the municipality of Bonheiden. It is mainly surrounded by low-rise residential buildings with some retailers and catering establishments. On the south side, the square is bordered by the central axis Mechelsesteenweg – Dorp – Rijmenamseweg, an important regional access road for a wider area east of Mechelen. Adjacent to the square and belonging to two historically valuable buildings is the August Gillétuin garden. This small green oasis is named after the Belgian sculptor and painter who lived in Bonheiden for much of his life. The neo-Gothic Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk church, located in the centre of the Kerkplein church square, divides the public space in two. Both the north and south sides are arranged as car parks, with limited greenery. The square is partially closed to traffic on Wednesdays for the weekly market and completely closed three times a year for the fair. 

The village centre should be a meeting place for all residents of the municipality, but today it mainly serves as a traffic area. The paved car park lacks cohesion, there is a lack of high-quality space where people can spend time, and traffic safety leaves much to be desired. The municipality of Bonheiden wants to renovate the village centre by redesigning the area around the church, including the Dorp zone and the August Gillétuin. The assignment includes the transformation of the public domain from façade to façade into a climate-proof, inclusive and pleasant area where people can spend time and that is tailored to vulnerable road users. The ambition is to depave Kerkplein as much as possible, add tree cover and increase water storage. After all, green and blue spaces in the built environment offer numerous advantages: they ensure a healthier environment, greater biodiversity, less air pollution, less noise pollution and cooling during periods of great heat. Neighbourhood greenery can also contribute to social cohesion and the quality of life of residents.

If these ambitions are to be realized, it will be difficult to retain all existing functions on the square. That is why the municipal authorities want to work with a designer to look for suitable alternatives where necessary. In addition to the all-inclusive study assignment for the redevelopment of the village centre, the project also includes the preparation of a (mobility) strategy for a wider area, so that the number of parking spaces on Kerkplein can be phased out. The integration of slow connections to the existing car parks at the town hall, De Meent, De Wissel and Muizensteenweg is an opportunity that we should not ignore. The valuable concepts from the mobility plan relating to traffic circulation and the segmentation of the thoroughfare need to be explored in more depth in relation to the ambitions for Kerkplein.

In addition to a mobility plan, the municipality has also had a master plan and a visual quality plan drawn up in the past. In order to define the relation between Kerkplein and its surroundings, it will be important to harmonize with these studies. Preliminary archaeological research has shown that there is an old cemetery under Kerkplein. The design will have to take archaeological finds into account, about which the trench investigation that has already been commissioned will provide more information. 

The probability of success of this transformation project is proportional to the involvement of all stakeholders. The assignment therefore includes an intensive communication and participation process with residents and stakeholders in order to arrive at a widely supported and feasible design. A campaign and information sessions will be used to spread a compelling story about improving the quality of life in the village centre. Participation events such as neighbourhood walks and tree planting campaigns should increase involvement in the project. Trial set-ups and temporary interventions can also play a role in this. The municipality will also put together a citizens’ council so that local expertise can be called upon to feed into the design during co-creative workshops. 

Finally, the municipality of Bonheiden is actively committed to bringing residents and visitors into contact with various art forms through the ‘Kunst Op Straat’ (Art in the Street) project. This initiative literally brings art to the public and stimulates a sense of wonder as well as dialogue and connection. The ambition is to also integrate an art project into the transformation of Kerkplein.

The municipal authorities have set a strict timeline for the implementation of this assignment and wish to complete the redevelopment of Kerkplein by 2029.