Halle - Station area master plan

The provincial authorities of Flemish Brabant wish to have a master plan drawn up for the design of the station area in Halle. The aim is to transform this area into a safe, pleasant and climate-resilient public space in which the programmes and ambitions of all stakeholders are given shape in an integrated manner. The provincial authorities of Flemish Brabant have allocated a budget of €152,820 for the preparation of this master plan.

Various local and supralocal assignments come together in the station area of Halle. In the Regional Mobility Plan, Halle station has been selected as an interregional ‘Hoppinpunt’, an intermodal transport hub. De Vlaamse Waterweg (Flemish Agency for Inland Waterways) is planning to widen the canal. The planned route of cycle highway 20 (F20) runs between the canal and the station. NMBS and Infrabel will invest in the renovation of the platforms, improving accessibility and bicycle parking facilities, and De Lijn wants to reorganize the stop infrastructure. In addition, a local vision advocates strengthening the core by uniting the eastern and western halves of the city, with the station square as the central and connecting space.

In terms of passenger numbers and intensity of use, Halle station is an important provincial transport hub. The provincial authorities of Flemish Brabant recognize the importance of an integrated approach to improving the mobility infrastructure and the further development of the station surroundings. On the initiative of the province, all stakeholders were therefore brought together. This resulted in the preparation of a cooperation agreement with the city of Halle, De Vlaamse Waterweg, NMBS, Infrabel, the MOW (Mobility and Public Works) department and public transport company De Lijn, in which the provincial authorities of Flemish Brabant were designated as the coordinator behind the preparation of a master plan.

In addition to integrating the programmes and ambitions of the various stakeholders, the aim is to transform the station area from an oversized paved space into a warm welcoming area for the city of Halle. The station area must become both a legible and safe public space for all modes of transport and a pleasant and active space for people to spend time in that also responds to current climate challenges.

This assignment concerns the preparation of a master plan in which the programmes and ambitions of the stakeholders are given shape in an integrated manner and which has been examined for its technical and traffic feasibility. The intention is also to carry out an initial financial assessment to indicate the budgetary consequences and the budgets that need to be made available by the partners. The plan must later be able to be translated into an integrated infrastructure design. This presupposes that the master plan adequately addresses the expectations of all actors in a sufficiently solution-oriented manner and provides clear sub-projects that can be implemented by the various partners in a subsequent phase. 

To arrive at a broadly supported master plan, all stakeholders need to be closely involved. The design team is therefore expected to have experience in process management and to possess the necessary communication and participatory skills.