• The demolition of the police headquarters paves the way for the Soers sports park with ALRV Campus, Mobility Hub and multifunctional sports hall.
• The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is funding the total demolition costs of around 9 million euros with around 8.1 million euros, i.e. 90 percent.
• After the demolition, a traffic-safe and temporarily usable area will be created.

An important milestone has been reached for the Soers sports park: On July 1, NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst presented Aachen's Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen with the funding decision for the demolition of the old police headquarters, thus laying the foundation for the redesign and development of the sports park. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is funding the total costs of around 9 million euros with around 8.1 million euros, i.e. 90 percent.

Sibylle Keupen expressed her sincere thanks and explained: "Sportpark Soers is one of the most important sports development projects in the city of Aachen. The demolition of the police headquarters paves the way for an ALRV Campus with a Mobility Hub and a multifunctional sports hall for top-class sport, school and club sport. I am delighted that we will be able to offer all Aachen residents a wide range of exercise and leisure activities here in the future, even outside of club sports. The good cooperation with all stakeholders, from the ALRV to the sports clubs, is the basis for the success of this major project, which I am already looking forward to seeing completed."

A total of over 40 million euros for the promotion of sports infrastructure

Hendrik Wüst commented on the funding decision as follows: "From coal to AI - North Rhine-Westphalia is focusing on innovation and digitalization in order to actively shape the future. The Rhenish mining area is being supported by the state and federal government with a broad range of structural policy measures as it phases out lignite. The focus here is on creating new prospects in sustainable industries, preserving jobs and improving business-related infrastructure. At the same time, we are also specifically strengthening the region as a liveable and attractive area - among other things through urban development measures, the expansion of the leisure and cultural landscape and - as here in the Soers - the further development of the sporting infrastructure with all its positive effects. With funding totaling over 40 million euros, we are sending out a strong signal for the region, the community and sport. This project is not only important for the hosting of the 2026 World Equestrian Games and the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but is also proof that we are continuing to actively modernize our sports facilities. In this way, we are creating a strong basis in North Rhine-Westphalia - for our athletes, our clubs and society as a whole."

The demolition forms the basis for all further planning

Stefanie Peters, President of the ALRV, added: "The handover of the funding decision by the State Chancellery for the demolition of the police headquarters is a great sign, as the next steps can now be taken quickly. The demolition forms the basis for all further planning, as far as we are concerned, for the construction of our new indoor riding arena. Now we need to push ahead with implementation as quickly as possible."

Thomas Hissel, Head of Economic Affairs, also expressed his thanks: "The approval for the demolition of the police headquarters is an important milestone for the development of the Soers Sports Park, for which we have worked hard together and which I am very pleased about. We are thus creating the basis for important impulses for structural change, such as the construction of a modern equestrian sports hall for the ALRV, which organizes the CHIO, the most popular equestrian event in the world, and is therefore a real economic factor in Aachen. I would like to thank all my colleagues, especially at a national level, who have contributed to this important milestone."

Usable space created after pollutant clean-up and demolition

Prior to the actual demolition of the old police headquarters, a pollutant clean-up will take place, in which asbestos, PCBs and PAHs in particular will be removed. The existing buildings will then be demolished. The demolition is generally expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027. After demolition, a traffic-safe and temporarily usable area with appropriate backfilling will be created.

The demolition will be followed by soil unsealing measures and preparatory civil engineering and infrastructure work. These form the basis for the central building construction projects, which include terrain modeling, the relocation of the Hubert-Wienen-Straße spur road and the development of the area for traffic, media supply and supply and disposal. Parallel to these measures, urban land-use planning is already underway: the amendment of the land-use plan for the entire area and the preparation of the new "Sportpark Soers / Hubert-Wienen-Straße" development plan. The first consultation on this will take place in the planning committee on July 3, 2025.

Further information on the project: www.aachen.de/sportparksoers