Crystal Palace Park Development

This Assembly notes the GLA’s recent projects for Crystal Palace Park, including: the collapsed deal with the ZhongRong Group to build a major commercial development on the hill top of Crystal Palace Park, which the Mayor secretly brokered following the London 2012 Games without the involvement of local stakeholder groups^[1]; its draft plans to radically redevelop the National Sports Centre and grounds with a significant loss of sporting facilities, which only involved the local sporting community after significant protest^[2]; and the park’s designation, without a clear rationale, in the London Plan as an Outer London Development Centre.

This Assembly notes that the Mayor is continuing to pursue secretive discussions with companies regarding building on the park’s hill top^[3], and believes he risks repeating the mistakes of the ZhongRong Group proposals, which resulted in the loss of £4.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund^[4] and eighteen wasted months during which community projects were suspended.

This Assembly also welcomes that the local community is progressing plans for a Crystal Palace Neighbourhood Forum^[5], and that Bromley Council is working with local stakeholders to establish a community trust to govern Crystal Palace Park^[6].

This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to end any private discussions about proposals for development on the park, and engage openly and transparently with the emerging community trust and Neighbourhood Forum in developing any future projects for the park and wider area.

[1] The Mayor met Mr Ni Zhaoxing at the Games, and officers first held meetings in February 2013. Plans were not made public until October of that year.http://questions.london.gov.uk/QuestionSearch/searchclient/questions/question_275672

[2] See, for example, https://crystalpalacesp.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/press-statement-11-11-14.pdf

[3]http://questions.london.gov.uk/QuestionSearch/searchclient/questions/question_282130

[4] http://www.crystalpalacepark.org.uk/2014/heritage-lottery-fund-application-fails/

[5]http://questions.london.gov.uk/QuestionSearch/searchclient/questions/question_275673

[6]http://www.bromley.gov.uk/press/article/984/improving_crystal_palace_park_taking_shape