Master plan

In February 2023, the city of Aachen commissioned the Dutch office Karres en Brands (Hilversum) in a joint venture with the office for transport, urban and environmental planning PGT (Hanover) to develop the master plan. The master plan is intended to bring together all urban development, mobility and traffic-related and open space planning principles in an integrated approach for the "Sport" usage concept and the supplementary uses and provide a spatial response to the content-related vision.

Existing preliminary plans and sub-projects will also be integrated into this process. Particular importance is attached to the active involvement of sports stakeholders. This includes the clubs currently based at Sportpark Soers as well as the city-wide sports perspective.
Under the prioritized goal of developing a "sports park for all", the master plan process also opens up opportunities for all citizens to participate as part of the public participation process.

The master plan will be developed in two stages. At the heart of the planning process are topic-related specialist workshops with the participation of various relevant stakeholders. A first broad-based event to inform and involve the public will take place in June 2023, with a second one planned for the fourth quarter of 2023. The rough urban development concept (stage 1) is to be developed by summer 2023 and submitted for political consultation. Based on this, the detailed elaboration of the master plan (stage 2) is then expected to take place by the first quarter of 2024. The urban land-use planning procedures required for the development of the Soers sports park could possibly start as soon as the rough concept has been adopted.

Stage 1 of the master plan process (rough urban planning concept) includes the following points in particular:

• Rough spatial and structural concept, consisting of two alternatives (variants) for the sub-areas or site developments "Police headquarters | Albert-Vahle-Halle | ice rink" - particularly with regard to the possible realization of the new multifunctional sports hall and the new indoor riding arena
• Statements on the open space concept with presentation of the open spaces | green spaces and spatial sequences in the planning area as well as the superordinate green references | proposals for a walkway including a circular route | proposals for sports and leisure facilities in public spaces
• Statements on the utilization concept based on the results of the needs analysis | Proposals for supplementary, publicly accessible leisure facilities | Examination of settlement opportunities for sports-related businesses or sports-related companies from science and research
• Statements on the development concept and traffic development (basic feasibility)
• Statements on noise generation
• Analysis of the framework conditions for major events

The results from stage 1 were clearly summarized in an interim report (PDF). This forms the content basis for stage 2.

Stage 2 of the master plan process (detailed elaboration of the master plan) includes the following points in particular:

• Overall urban development concept with the following content:
  > Spatial and structural concept
  > Open space concept
  > Environmental and energy concept
  > Utilization concept
• Specification of the sub-areas and site developments "Police headquarters | Albert-Vahle-Halle | ice rink" - Definition of the locations of the new multifunctional sports hall and the new indoor riding arena
• Updating the traffic concept: development, mobility and parking space concept
• Master plan on a scale of 1:1000 with final report and visualization
• Concept of measures including a time and process plan

Site developments and sub-areas
Sub-areas that require detailed consideration can already be identified today. These differ according to the respective planning and construction tasks (demolition, reorganization, revitalization, interim use and subsequent use; refurbishment and upgrading, etc.), their location and their ownership structure. This complex context and the different functions result in different timescales for the implementation of the sub-processes of the master plan.

So far, three sub-areas can be identified: the site development of the police headquarters, the site development of the Albert-Vahle-Halle and the site development of the ice rink. The list of sub-areas will be supplemented and further specified in the course of drawing up the rough urban development concept.


Open space
One aim of the master plan is to draw up an open space concept as the basis for further open space planning for the entire Soers sports park area. Together with the aspects of the sponge city and climate adaptation, the conceptual considerations for open and green spaces pay particular attention to the promotion of biodiversity. In addition to public recreational sports facilities (urban sports, streetball, football pitch, etc.), open spaces with recreational quality (seating, shade) and possibly open water areas are to be created.

Strengthening the pedestrian and cycle routes and connections to the Soers sports park is essential for the use of open space and the attractiveness of public space. The local footpath and cycle path network (connection to the Soers landscape area, to the Weißer Weg, permeability of the sports park in an east-west direction, connection to the southern quarter on Würselener Wall) is highlighted in the context of the open space planning. The area on Soerser Weg in the transition to the Soers landscape area (landscape conservation area) also requires a particularly sensitive approach to this local recreational and natural space.


Sub-projects
The sub-projects that have been set include the demolition of the police headquarters, the construction of a new multifunctional sports hall and the construction of a new indoor riding arena, as well as the construction of a new public running track. Sports projects already underway complement the master plan and are seamlessly integrated into it. These include the construction of a small training hall on the grounds of PTSV Aachen and the construction of a new training pitch for Alemannia Aachen in the area of the no longer efficient cinder pitch on Soerser Weg.


Demolition of the police headquarters
The police headquarters site covers a total area of approx. 33,500 square meters, of which approx. 7,600 square meters have been built over. A total of 75 percent of the site is sealed. The local framework conditions on the one hand and the legal basis for awarding contracts, occupational health and safety and immission control, waste and chemicals law, building and regulatory law on the other are essential for the upcoming demolition planning. According to the present investigation, numerous building materials are contaminated with asbestos. Further contamination cannot be ruled out.

The City of Aachen currently assumes that demolition work can begin in summer 2024 at the earliest once the approval and implementation planning has been completed. If all goes well, the demolition work could then be completed in winter 2025. The buildings of the former police headquarters are currently being used for various purposes (mainly as storage space). The municipal building management has also converted the building of the former technical services, which is not contaminated, into residential accommodation. Under the leadership of the City of Aachen's Housing, Social Affairs and Integration Department, housing for refugees can be offered there for a maximum period of 18 months from the first quarter of 2023. This interim use is not in competition with the planned demolition work and will be returned in good time before the construction work begins.