MD2220 Crystal Palace National Sports Centre design, feasibility

There has been a major sporting facility within Crystal Palace Park since the 19th century. It was the original home of Crystal Palace football club from the 1860s and hosted the FA cup final from 1895 to 1914. In addition, the park has hosted other sports including motor racing, cricket, rugby, show jumping and American Football.

The National Sports Centre (NSC) estate at Crystal Palace was constructed in 1964 and was one of five National Sports Centres run on behalf of Sport England. Ownership of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre was transferred from Sport England to the London Development Agency in 2006 and then to GLA Land and Property Limited (GLAP) in April 2012. The centre is managed by Greenwich Leisure Limited on behalf of GLAP.

There are a number of listed structures in Crystal Palace Park, including the NSC building, which is Grade II* listed, and other items such as the sphinxes and the Victorian dinosaurs.

The extension of the current management contract for the NSC estate with Greenwich Leisure Limited by 2 years to 1st April 2020, was approved by the Mayor under cover of MD2126. The GLA pursued this extension to allow a full and proper consideration of future options and to allow adequate time to procure operator and development options that best meet the needs of local and sporting communities.

Significant investment has been made in the NSC estate (£20m in recent years), to sustain the existing operation. However, the various NSC estate assets are all in need of more transformative investment that secures a longer-term legacy.

The NSC is set within Crystal Palace Park, one of the most famous parks in the country, one with huge potential and heritage value. Created in 1853-5 by Sir Joseph Paxton, it was to be the permanent home for his ‘Crystal Palace’ that housed the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park. Changing use and status over the years have taken their toll alongside an increasing gap between maintenance delivered and required. Unfortunately, therefore the Park has lost the coherent vision.

A masterplan for Crystal Palace Park was consented in 2013 (Masterplan). The Masterplan aimed to rejuvenate the park and detailed key principles that have implications for existing athletics facility provision at the NSC. The Masterplan included the retention of an athletics track but the removal of the stadium stands. The plans also assumed the demolition and removal of the elevated walkway and podium structures and in turn the indoor athletics facility which sits below.

Over the last two years the LB Bromley have been progressing a regeneration plan for the wider park, which envisages a range of fundamental improvements which conform to the key principles of the Masterplan and is funded in part by the sale of two sites at the perimeter of the park for residential development. It is expected that this regeneration plan will seek planning consent in spring 2018. It was recently reviewed by the London Review Panel who stressed the importance of a strong strategy for the park as a whole. Future development options for the NSC estate will need to form part of this coherent park-wide strategy.

Whilst the NSC estate has a rich sporting history, its role has changed over the last 10-15 years. Although called a ‘National Sports Centre’ it has not been an official Sport England supported venue for some time. Until 2012, it was the main centre for athletics and swimming in London but that role has been assumed by Olympic venues in Queen Elizabeth Park, Stratford. As a result, a new focus is required for the facilities at Crystal Palace.

A fundamental review of the role of the NSC and its assets in the context of London’s wider sports provision is now underway. This first piece of work is focussing on sporting capacity (approved via ADD2164) and particularly on athletics facility provisions, where demand and capacity issues are more in need of review given the move of elite level athletics staging to the Olympic stadium. This work is being cliented in partnership with UK Athletics and is drawing upon specific athletics experience. This study will engage with a wide range of sporting stakeholders, and undertake a robust appraisal of sporting data to provide an evidence baseline to inform future decisions on the NSC and athletics stadium.

Beyond this, a wider review (building on the CSM work undertaken in 2014) for the whole NSC estate is needed to help inform development options and the eventual procurement of a new operator, expected to be underway in early 2019. This decision seeks approval to draw down the relevant budget to progress this work up to the point of business case development.

The NSC estate needs a coherent strategy that enables it to support local community and sporting uses sustainably into the future. The objective of the work proposed is to ensure there is a robust evidence base to help inform future decisions.

This commission is expected to appoint a creative consultant team with a wide range of skills such as: architecture and design; heritage and conservation; masterplanning; development; business planning; public engagement; sporting and leisure knowledge; procurement; and project management. This work will be underpinned by a commitment to taking a high quality, design led approach.

The work required to inform future decision making will include (but not be limited to):

• Asset review: to undertake a review of all the physical assets within the NSC estate; build upon and expand where necessary the sporting facility review; carry out detailed condition surveys; and undertake an assessment of the municipal value of assets such as the lodge, housing, and the businesses located within the jubilee stand.
• Heritage and conservation management: to undertake a conservation management plan, that will look at all the listed assets; record and analyse the character and special interest of the building and the setting; provide guidance on implementation and management of change and the protection of special interest characteristics; and recommend conservation strategies for the management of the NSC.
• Spatial masterplanning; undertake a design led approach to creating an estate masterplan, to RIBA Stage 2/3, that recognises the ambition of the consented park Masterplan and unites the NSC with the wider park in accordance with LB Bromley’s regeneration plan; to create a vision to enhance and protect the legacy of an iconic building and its associated assets; provide a space that works for the sporting and wider needs of the local community; improve the public realm and make a positive contribution to the park’s landscape.
• Development options: to consider all the evidence and provide the GLA with clear options for development; outlining each option in terms of viability, public acceptance, risk, and sustainability.
• Business planning: carry out a review the current business model and identify its weakness and strengths; benchmark the NSC financial performance against other comparable businesses; review the leisure centre market and identify its growth areas; undertake a review of funding and investment opportunities that could be pertinent to the NSC; make recommendations about new business practices to ensure the future viability of the NSC estate.
• Procurement strategy: provide guidance and support on the procurement of development and/or operating partnerships that will come into effect.
• Project management: provide project management support to the GLA throughout the feasibility work and options appraisal.

Community and user engagement will be core to the success of this work and the GLA will convene relevant stakeholders at regular points in the options appraisal process. The shadow park board’s input will be particularly important to this process to ensure that the proposals for the NSC are closely aligned with the delivery of the park regeneration plan. The consultants will create and implement a well thought out, dynamic, and inclusive public engagement strategy; provide a platform for multi stakeholder dialogue in a way that all parties feel listened to; capture, analyse and feed back to the GLA the thoughts of the community and feed back to the community outcomes of the consultation, clearly articulating the process and explaining how a preferred option was selected.

Alongside a consideration of the level of continued GLA funding, external funding sources will need to be pursued and recent approaches have been made to HLF, Sports England and the Big Lottery Fund. Clearly the case for investment in the NSC is best made by outlining the broader investment needs in the park and their alignment with the masterplan principles.

All projects will be developed and delivered in compliance with relevant Codes of Practice and in line with the public-sector equality duty to ensure that the full range of issues has been considered. All proposals will be assessed in terms of accessibility to ensure we minimise disadvantages suffered by people who share a protected characteristic. age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation.

The project will work collaboratively with consultants and other agencies to promote the value and relevance of Inclusive Design through planning, procurement and commissioning of projects and programmes. This will support the Mayor’s commitment to creating an inclusive city by ensuring that accessible and inclusive design is an integral part of the design of new developments, public facilities and public spaces addressing existing barriers to getting around the built environment.

The project will be delivered on a fully inclusive basis. The GLA and appointed consultants will strive to lead by example on creating inclusive workplace cultures and workforce diversity.

The NSC estate is an important sporting and community facility for London and the south east. It supports a variety of sporting pathways, from participation to elite competition, and is host to a range of associated events. The work set out in this decision is intended to inform a future strategy for the NSC estate which secures viable and sustainable sports and leisure facilities for use by a broad range of sporting and community users.

a) key risks and issues

Failure to deliver a viable and sustainable development option for the NSC estate will jeopardise the future of an important sporting and community facility for south east London. Further extension of the existing operating arrangement beyond the agreed period would potentially run contrary to procurement requirements and in the meantime the NSC estate assets will continue to deteriorate. To mitigate this, a plan to arrive at a well-informed strategy is being developed with the sporting demand and capacity work currently underway, and the approach outlined in this decision providing an important basis for future options development.

b) links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

The Mayor is committed to building upon London’s legacy as a sporting city by enabling and encouraging more people to participate and compete at every level. The Mayor’s draft Health Strategy sets out his vision to ensure that London’s communities have access to sporting opportunities. Ensuring that London has the facilities which support a range of sporting pathways is vital to this vision.

c) impact assessments and consultations.

Successful delivery of a future strategy for the NSC estate will be dependent on engagement with a range of stakeholders including but not limited to; sporting user groups, local community, the five local authorities, centre operators and potential funders.

The total cost of this proposal will be up to the value of £205,000. The GLA will fund up to £200,000 for this proposal via the Housing & Land Estates revenue budget and the Corporate Contingency Fund in 2017-18 (£100,000 each), with Sport England contributing £5,000 towards the project. It should be noted that while the work will be commissioned in 2017-18, expenditure will span into 2018-19 and consequently the budget allocation will be subject to re-profiling as part of the 2018-19 budget setting process currently underway.

Any additional work required as a direct result of findings from the proposed feasibility study and options appraisal will be subject to further approval via the Authority’s decision-making process.

The foregoing sections of this report indicate that:

- The decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the statutory powers of the GLA to do such things as may be considered to be facilitative of or conducive or incidental to the discharge of the GLA’s principle purposes; and

- In formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:

(a) pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;
(b) consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and
(c) consult with appropriate bodies.

- The GLA must, in the exercise of its functions, have due regard to the need to:

(a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010 (“the Act”);
(b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it;
(c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

- Having due regard to the need to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it involves having due regard, in particular, to the need to:

(a) remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by persons who share a relevant protected characteristic that are connected to that characteristic;
(b) take steps to meet the needs of persons who share a relevant protected characteristic that are different from the needs of persons who do not share it; and
(c) encourage persons who share a relevant protected characteristic to participate in public life or in any other activity in which participation by such persons is disproportionately low.

- The steps involved in meeting the needs of disabled persons that are different from the needs of persons who are not disabled include, in particular, steps to take account of disabled persons' disabilities.

- Having due regard to the need to foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it involves having due regard, in particular, to the need to: tackle prejudice; and promote understanding.

- Compliance with the above duties may involve treating some persons more favorably than others, but that is not to be taken as permitting conduct that would otherwise be prohibited by or under the Act.

- The relevant protected characteristics are: age; disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation.

- A reference to conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act includes a reference to a breach of: an equality clause or rule; or a non-discrimination rule.

- To this end the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

The services required must be procured by Transport for London Commercial who will determine the detail of the procurement strategy to be adopted in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code. Officers must ensure that the relevant contract documentation is put in place and executed by the successful bidder(s) and the GLA before the commencement of the services.