main content Crystal Palace Park Council planning approval with conditions

Plans to improve Crystal Palace Park were approved at the Council’s Development Control Committee meeting last night. The part outline plan is subject to the completion of a legal agreement and a possible direction by the Mayor of London or central Government. The decision follows consultation after the London Development Agency (LDA) application was submitted in November 2007 and represents the largest application assessed by Bromley Council.

“These visionary long-term plans could bring about welcome improvements to this historic park in a completely unique situation. The applicant has convinced us that there are very special circumstances that justify the relatively small residential development on parts of the site. We will be looking at the detailed applications very closely indeed, if and when they are submitted. Close scrutiny is important to us and local people” said Councillor Alexa Michael, Chairman of Development Control Committee.

The phased scheme would involve the removal of hard standings, and would include landscaping, water features and extensive tree planting. The tree planting would make a feature of the original Palace, with trees planted to outline the previous building and rooms. The plans also include the construction of new buildings, including residential dwellings. One of the residential sites, the Rockhills site, whilst not part of the Park, is classified as Metropolitan Open Land (MOL).

The LDA showed that there are very special circumstances to justify this ‘inappropriate development’ because the funds generated would assist in the restoration of the park and the listed terraces and bring land not currently accessible to the public into park use. The other site for housing is not designated MOL.

The proposals include:

• a new regional sports centre including indoor 50 metre swimming pool to be sited at the west stand of the existing athletics stadium
• the grade 2 star listed National Sports Centre building to be retained with low key uses only (the swimming pool being relocated to the new centre) with the concrete and brick structures around it being removed and the area around the building being re-landscaped
• up to 180 dwellings; 132 in two blocks at Rockhills in the northern most corner of the site in an area currently occupied by the Caravan Club, and 48 dwellings in 6 blocks on land near to the Sydenham Gate along Crystal Palace Park Road currently occupied by the One O’Clock Club children’s nursery, St John Ambulance premises and the park maintenance depot
• change of use for 2 hectares of the total caravan site of 2.4 hectares from hard surfacing to public open green space
• a new college building on open land near the station at the Anerley Hill entrance to the Park, the intended user is Capel Manor, a horticultural and animal husbandry training college
• erection of other new buildings and structures for various uses including a museum on the ‘top site’, park maintenance facilities, children’s nursery, cafés, information kiosk, greenhouses on the Italian terraces, retail kiosks and treetop walk
• change of use of existing museum building to a park rangers’ base.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The LDA submitted full plans for the National Sports Centre building due to the listed status of the building. The rest of the application was submitted as outline – hence the application being part outline.
• The LDA took over the lease for the central part of the park, including the National Sports Centre building and athletics stadium in March 2006. Options remain until March 2009 for the LDA to take over the rest of the park under the lease transfer agreement made with London Borough of Bromley in 2004.
• Since the local elections in 2002, the council has been led by a Conservative administration. Full council is made up of 60 elected councillors – 49 Conservative, 7 Liberal Democrat and 4 Labour – representing 22 wards across the borough.

For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Communications Advisor, on 020 8461 7670 or email andrew.rogers@bromley.gov.uk.

For party political comment please contact:
Conservative - michael.tickner@zip-mail.co.uk
Labour – john.getgood@bromley.gov.uk
Liberal Democrat – david.mcbride@bromley.gov.uk