Poort van Hoorn

Karres en Brands have provided the urban development plan for Poort van Hoorn, the city of Hoorn's largest ever urban development assignment. After an intensive process with all stakeholders and local residents, Hoorn's municipal council unanimously approved the urban development plan. Our partners NS Stations and the provincial council of Noord-Holland are also investing in the plan. Karres en Brands is currently elaborating the plan even further. 

Poort van Hoorn encompasses the immediate vicinity of the station area. The current situation is characterized by a lack of comfort and urban quality and is completely dominated by the nature of the existing hub's infrastructure. Over the years, the area has become a collection of residual urban spaces as a result. The urban development plan is designed to transition this area into a valuable and integral part of the city. Poort van Hoorn contributes to Hoorn's future as an attractive and lively city with 1,000 new homes, new public functions, an enormous boost to the quality of public space, and an optimally functioning transport hub.

The urban development plan provides for a clear main public framework from which to build on within the landscape, and as a logical framework for routes, places, and urban projects. The green canal structure will be restored, a new station square will be added on the north side, and a new traverse will connect city districts. Museum Steamtram will be central to the plans, with a display window for the historic locomotives and carriages, and a beautiful square at the entrance. More space will be created by ensuring a more compact railway infrastructure. Each area will get its own character and identity within the main framework. The area around the station will become an extension of the centre. A new district – that's sandwiched between the beach and the city centre – is being created on the Pelmolen-Prisma site. A link to the city is being created in Hoorn's city centre at a place that used to be a fracture zone.

In addition to its function as a transfer location, the modular hub will also become an important part of the city's attractiveness to those arriving in Hoorn. From the moment you arrive, you feel that you are in Hoorn and that Hoorn welcomes you. There will be around 3,700 attractive indoor bicycle sheds on both sides of the station. The bus station will move to the north side, where there will also be space for a large mobility hub made for inner-city parking. As a result, a large part of traffic from cars is moved out of the city's historic centre and space is made for pedestrians, cyclists, and greenery.