The first step in the long-awaited handover of Crystal Palace Park from Bromley Council to the Crystal Palace Park Trust took place at the beginning of April, with a lease to the Trust of the concert platform – also known as the Rusty Laptop.
The transfer of the concert platform falls short of the originally anticipated full transfer of the Park on 1st April. The Council and the Trust stated: ‘The handover is being phased over the next few months, with full handover expected to be completed by September, rather than by April as initially targeted.’
The Trust’s business model assumes that resources to improve the park, including day-to-day maintenance, will come from a range of sources, including leases, concessions, events, and other commercial revenue. Bromley Council will pay a grant of £125,000 to the Trust each year, with an inflationary increase capped at 3%. The Council has kept private details about what it currently pays for the upkeep of the Park, so we don’t know whether it is saving money by handing over the Park to the Trust.
The CPCA doesn’t want Bromley Council to save money at the expense of the Trust and park users. We want the Council, as freehold owner of the Park, to acknowledge its ultimate responsibility, and if necessary to fund any shortfall if the grant and other Trust income are insufficient to maintain the Park to an acceptable standard.