Crystal Palace Park regeneration
As can be seen from the archive section of the CPCA website, plans for the regeneration of Crystal Palace Park have been under development for over 20 years. The CPCA fought hard against Bromley Council’s original proposals to fund regeneration by selling off part of the park for housing. This campaign went all the way to the High Court but was eventually lost in 2013.
Having pushed their proposals through the planning process, Bromley Council then stalled. A potential investment in the Park from China’s Zhong Rong never materialised. The Council eventually went back to the drawing board and started developing an updated set of proposals, which were submitted for planning approval in 2020. The CPCA objected to these proposals on the grounds of:
- loss of metropolitan open land
- inadequate evidence to support viability of enabling development
- inappropriate density and scale of new development
- loss of Caravan Site.
However, planning approval for these new plans, including 210 new homes at the Rockhills end of Crystal Palace Park, was finally granted in March 2023.
The regeneration is now planned by the Council to be carried out in a number of phases. The Council itself has set a limit of £2.5 million to the funding that it will commit to the regeneration project, and will in any case aim to recoup this from proceeds of sale of part of the Park. The initial phase of work will include conservation and repair of heritage assets, specifically the dinosaur sculptures and the Upper and Lower Italian Terrace Walls. A bid to the National Heritage Lottery Fund is planned to cover the cost of the work.
Landscape Framework
The latest application relating to Crystal Palace Park regeneration (reference 20/00325/CONDT1) seeks to satisfy one of the conditions of the March 2023 approval, namely to provide a Framework Landscaping Plan and Landscape Management Plan. The Landscape Framework will inform the overall regeneration of the Park.
The deadline for comments, to be submitted via Bromley Council’s planning portal, is 30 November 2023.