Belgian School Project Sparks Traffic Concerns in Halle

The KorHa school group is planning to construct a new, modern city school in the center of Halle, Belgium, aiming to consolidate students from its HHC Vondel campuses into a single, state-of-the-art facility. The proposed building, designed to accommodate up to 440 students, will be located on the site of former government buildings on Zuster Bernardastraat. The school hopes to open its doors by September 2027, though acknowledges this timeline may be ambitious.

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We want to promote walking and cycling as much as possible. This modal shift is truly the future.

General director Bernard Schatteman emphasized the school's vision for a "modern city school" featuring a rooftop playground and prioritizing children who arrive on foot or by bicycle. This approach aligns with a deliberate strategy to encourage sustainable transportation. "We want to promote walking and cycling as much as possible. This modal shift is truly the future," Schatteman stated, explaining why the school plans to provide ample bicycle parking, over 260 spaces, but a limited number of car parking spots.

However, the project has faced opposition from some local residents who have voiced concerns about the potential impact on traffic and parking. A petition against the project garnered 118 signatures, with residents highlighting existing traffic problems in the area. "The traffic is already gridlocked everywhere here," one resident commented, fearing the school will exacerbate the situation. Concerns were also raised about the provision of only eight parking spaces for a school with 440 students and 40 teachers.

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The traffic is already gridlocked everywhere here. The school will only make this worse and exceeds the capacity of the neighborhood.

KorHa aims to alleviate the current dispersal of students across different sites in Halle and Buizingen, which often requires parents with multiple children to travel between locations. The new central school will create approximately 150 additional places, addressing long waiting lists in the area. Meanwhile, a third building on the site is slated to become a care campus by the end of 2028, focusing on specialized youth and mental healthcare services.

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With this project, we are creating 150 extra places. This should help alleviate the long waiting lists in the area.