Crystal Palace Park

Pat Trembath · Post by **Pat Trembath** » 17 Sep 2007 16:37

The future of Crystal Palace Park

A meeting is being held tomorrow, Tuesday, 18 September, at St Bart's Church, Westwood Hill at 7.45 pm on the eve of the long awaited Masterplan for the Park being submitted to Bromley Council for Outline permission.

The meeting, organised by the Sydenham Society, is open to all residents of Sydenham who are interested in the regeneration of this once grand Victorian park (still listed Grade ll* by English Heritage), and which the London Development Agency and its landscape architects, Latz + Partners, hope will be re-established as a park of national, regional and local importance.

After several years of work and two major public consultations the plans for the park's 21st century makeover are now taking shape. Following a presentation of the ideas being developed within the Masterplan, Roger Frith, Senior Project Manager, will be on hand to answer questions from local residents.

dickp · Post by **dickp** » 19 Sep 2007 08:18

Thanks for last night. It was very informative - and civilised

!

The masterplan looks great.

And yes, the sydenham society membership application is in the post..

CPP Consultation · Post by **CPP Consultation** » 5 Oct 2007 16:05

New Vision

The new park design, aims to bring the much loved park back to its former glory, by interpreting its past into a functional and sustainable park for the future.

The London Development Agency (LDA) will be running an interactive exhibition at Crystal Palace train station for two weeks at the end of October, to present the exciting new masterplan to revive Crystal Palace park.

The exhibition, which will run from Thursday 18 October to Wednesday 31 October (Weekdays: 7.30am - 9pm, Weekends: 10am - 6pm) will give those interested in the park an opportunity to find out more about the plans and meet the team that has worked to pull them together. Play facilities will be available.

The new park design, aims to bring the much loved park back to its former glory, by interpreting its past into a functional and sustainable park for the future.

For more information please contact:

CPP Consultation team on 020 7357 6894, cpp at localdialogue.com or visit www.crystalpalacepark.org.uk

Regards

Munish

outcast · Post by **outcast** » 5 Oct 2007 20:23

I have waited for a chance to support the plan for the new crystal palace.
Perhaps you can tell me, Mr CPP consultation, when I get to do that.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » 17 Oct 2007 12:45

The Evening Standard carries this report on the plans being unveiled:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/ ... article.do

Pat Trembath · Post by **Pat Trembath** » 24 Oct 2007 09:59

Just to "bump" this thread back up the topics for discussion.

The Exhibition about the Masterplan for Crystal Palace Park which was due for submission to Bromley Council yesterday has been open to the public for one week now.

It will continue until next Wednesday, 31 October, and is being held in the old Booking Hall next to Crystal Palace Station.

Times of the exhibition are:

Weekdays -7.30 am till 9 pm
Weekends - 10 am - 6 pm

This is the opportunity for everyone interested in the future of this once great park, now very tired and run down, to see the ideas being put forward by the London Development Agency, in conjunction with Masterplanners Latz + Partners, to regenerate the park and also an opportunity to discuss the plans with members of the project development team.

It is also a chance to have a look inside the old station Booking Hall, closed to the public for many years.

AliT · Post by **AliT** » 25 Oct 2007 09:48

We went to the exhibition on Tuesday, and very impressed we were too. The plans are great, and already the area outside Crystal Palace station is a million times better without the ghastly concrete bridge. Well done Latz...Roll on the changes. Also very interesting is the old booking hall. What a lovely space and what a shame it's not being used regularly. It would make a fabulous parkside restaurant or a space for the farmers' market stalls (inside and out)... or dare I say it a better cafe for the park while we await the new one at the lake.

randomv · Post by **randomv** » 25 Oct 2007 10:53

Not sure if this is something that's picking up any momentum and hopefully will never see the light of day, but a friend of mine told me recently that she had signed a petition (in Beckenham of all places) to have a leisure centre/cinema complex on the CP site.

Nooooooooooo!!!!!

I am assuming that the petition is just a small group trying to drum up support for something that is never going to happen but I had a hard time convincing her why the idea is such a terrible one and filling her in on a bit of local history.

dickp · Post by **dickp** » 26 Oct 2007 07:28

I've been following the plan for months, but even I was really pleased when I saw the massive drawing outlining the entire project hanging from the ceiling in the old booking hall. I'd love a copy for my wall.

It really is great isn't it? I honestly can't find an single thing I object to. (and that includes the designs for the housing btw!)

poppy · Post by **poppy** » 26 Oct 2007 14:18

randomv - that is shocking! I wonder how they would feel if someone was trying to build a multiplex on Kelsey Park?

outcast · Post by **outcast** » 26 Oct 2007 17:11

Right on on Randomy - Thank God there are people like you to stop the women of Beckenham indulging in independant thought.

randomv · Post by **randomv** » 27 Oct 2007 09:37

outcast wrote:Right on on Randomy - Thank God there are people like you to stop the women of Beckenham indulging in independant thought.

Far from it..I'm just surprised that Beckenham residents don't know their local history and the lengths that people went to to avoid having a multiplex in CP. The fact that some of them don't is perhaps proof that they don't see CP as their locality...except when it comes to building a new leisure complex which won't impact on THEIR green space or traffic.

I don't want to drag up a debate about the use of the site, was just passing on some info I had heard and that had really surprised me as I thought the whole multiplex issue was way behind us.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » 28 Oct 2007 11:39

I've just been to the exhibition and I think that the organisers have done a very good job setting out their plans, which do look impressive. As an earlier poster commented, the old booking hall at Crystal Palace station is also quite interesting, and it would be good to see that opened up to the public more often.

outcast · Post by **outcast** » 28 Oct 2007 16:44

But they didn't tell me:

How will they pay for the park in the future
How will theyget rid of the caravan site?
They said they wer giving money to the Capel Manor animal place. What will happen when they stop giving them money? Will it go?
Why we must we have a bigger bus garage?
I want the real deal on the top site not two huge glass houses that say they pay tribute to Paxton.

I didn't see anything of an amazing kind. All I saw was boring and dissappointing. Could do better. Its good to get rid of roads and things but its going to cost so much money. They may start OK but it will all probably go wrong in the middle. Why are they so keen to take the park if it will cost so much?

Sydenham · Post by **Sydenham** » 28 Oct 2007 17:28

I've just been this afternoon and was pleased with all the information available. As far as ongoing funding is concerned this wasn't something I discussed with the helpful team there - however to my eyes what is suggested / proposed is lower maintenance than what it will replace; the risks then of creating something 'nice' that will rapidly deteriorate due to lack of ongoing funding is reduced.

Everything's a balance - but I echo the criticism that its all a bit bland - where's the 'wow' factor? I'd love to have something in the park that is world-class attracting visitors from all over the world for its own sake. I fear that what is proposed will not be enough to get London visitors to make the effort to get South of the River - they'll stay with Regents & Hyde Park.

A missed opportunity for now - but a welcome development all the same.

With regards to the caravan site - their lease has a break clause in 2018 so they could sit out till then. Discussions / negotiations are ongoing - options seem to be somewhere else in South East London or Stratford - linked to Olympics. If so then this would need to happen before 2012 or the boat would be missed. (I don't have any inside knowledge on this - only picked this information up at the exhibition talking to people).

Juwlz · Post by **Juwlz** » 28 Oct 2007 18:57

If its low maintenance GREAT!!

The LAST thing I would want would be something dramatic that would attract hoards of people from all over London - think of the traffic! Let them stay in Regents/Hyde Park so we can have OUR green space to ourselves!

Pat Trembath · Post by **Pat Trembath** » 30 Oct 2007 18:27

One more day to catch the exhibition of proposals for the regeneration of the park, which ends tomorrow 31 October. It will be open from 7.30 am till 9 pm.

outcast · Post by **outcast** » 20 Nov 2007 23:37

I am so mad. I have bin waiting for a chance to say yes I want a Crystal Palace built but there was nothing about it at exhibition. Now I read in the magazine that there is still this project to rebuild the Palace with cinema and ski slope and museums, concerts and everything. Why wasn't it at the exhibition. Does anyone know how I can find out how to say I want this. thank you

LivesNearby · Post by **LivesNearby** » 5 Aug 2010 16:36

I see from English Heritage that Crystal Palace's pool is only going to be open until 2012 following approval of the Crystal Palace Masterplan when "It will then be converted to 'dry' use to complement a new sports centre nearby."

Does anybody have any information on what is to be built? It appears that CrystalPalacePark.org.uk has been taken down. Are the swimming facilities to be replaced and is there a tentative schedule for when any new pool would be built?

Pat Trembath · Post by **Pat Trembath** » 6 Aug 2010 07:46

The EH publication has no date to refer to except on the back page, an article by Chris Smith (former Minister for Department of Culture Media and Sport) states "With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games just five short years away, the spotlight is increasingly focusing on the
preparations for this major sporting event."

The article on the future of the Crystal Palace swimming pool was written 5 years ago and many things have happened since with regard to Crystal Palace Park, including a very expensive refurbishment of the swimming and diving facilities, bringing them up to date 21st century specificatons for international swimming if not to Olympic standards, which require 8-lane swimming. The pools re-opened in May last year. There is also a state of the art gym and other wonderful sports facilities which are open to local residents and are not expensive to use.

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