Bern: Municipal council gives green light for new multifunctional hall

Bernexpo, the Bernese trade fair company, wants to replace the current festival hall on Papiermühlestrasse, which dates back to 1948, with a new building. The indicative project envisages a new multifunctional hall called BEmotion Base with space for up to 9,000 people and an adjoining convention center for up to 3,000 people. The two buildings are to be connected by a foyer so that trade fairs can also be held there.

The municipal council has now approved the associated Mingerstrasse-Papiermühlestrasse zoning ordinance for public display. In its view, the new building will significantly improve the urban development situation in the Mingerstrasse-Papiermühlestrasse area. Thanks to the new exhibition forecourt, a publicly accessible area will be created, according to the municipal council.

The development of the entire exhibition grounds is organized in a manner that is compatible with the neighborhood: Three newly designed connecting axes between Mingerstrasse and the Grosse Allmend are planned for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. In addition, the planning creates the prerequisites for freeing the Grosse Allmend from the current 210 or so parking spaces in protection zone A by relocating them to the planned extension of the underground Expo parking area.

The public announcement will last until May 18, 2020, and the Bernese population is expected to vote on the zoning ordinance in March 2021. Due to the great importance of the project for the entire region, the city and canton of Bern want to support the project financially. The loan proposal required for this will be prepared separately from the planning procedure, but will be submitted to the voters for a decision on the same voting weekend. (ah)