The information centre in Crystal Palace Park has closed to make way for a new Visitor Centre as part of the £17.75million regeneration and restoration project starting this spring.
Final closure: the Crystal Palace Park information centre has closed, making way for updated facilities
“The current building has become run down over the years and no longer fit for purpose,” according to the Crystal Palace Park Trust, which now oversees the management of the park. They say that the new building “will offer an enhanced experience allowing visitors to learn about the rich history of the park”, all thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Wolfson Foundation and other generous contributors.
The Garfield Weston Foundation recently awarded a £500,000 grant to the regeneration project.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Friends of Crystal Palace Park for their incredible efforts over many years in making the information centre a community hub and keeping visitors informed about park happenings,” the Trust said.
Until the Visitor Centre opens, the Trust recommends the public visit the “What’s On” page on its website. “Timescales for the demolition and build of the new Visitor Centre will be shared in the coming weeks,” they said.
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Let’s hope this project sees every penny on that £17.75million unlike the Fairfield Halls hoax which probably only saw a fraction.
Don’t think they will be spending even 1/30th of the budget on the new shed, Sam
More of Crystal Palace Park, a Grade II* English Heritage Registered Historic Park, is being sold off by Bromley Council for commercial development, namely 230 private flats in around 6 or 7 tall blocks.
That parkland sale of around £18m is being used for maintenance work and dubious re landscaping, including felling 170+ trees on the park hilltop, removing wildlife habitat and destroying the C P Arch floral gardens.
After the Disposal of Public Open Space, Section 123, 1972 Local Govt Act Notice, this week’s statutory public notice is Section 122 ‘Notice of Appropriation for… Development of Housing’.
In the press release the phrase ‘funding from… other generous contributors’, as far as I can tell, includes Bromley Council selling off parkland within the registered boundaries of CPP. This is at sites on temporary, low-key and to be terminated leases to the Camping and Caravanning Club Harbour, the St John Ambulance site and the former One O’clock Club / Children’s nursery site.
You can read the latest formal notice of ‘Appropriation for Housing’ at the link below.
I wish any new objectors better success than I and others had with the Open Space Disposal public notice a year ago – ie glossed over in a few unrepresentative paragraphs in a Committee report, then rubber stamped by Councillors.
Welcome to the Incredible Shrinking Park in the ‘Clean and Green’ Borough of Bromley.
Public notices and plan here…
https://crystalpalaceparkregenerationplan.com/news/
Be careful what you wish for as I think Bromley Council is one of the few to be debt free. Good community, good people , good independent shops and clean. Quite the opposite of Croydon.
I have expanded on the press release, including where the £18m is coming from, at what environmental and public asset cost, and pointed out the continuing discrepancy between the Council ‘Clean and Green’ motto and its tree-felling and park land sale and development latest actions.
I have taken a more active interest in local affairs since 1992 through residents’ association and amenity group involvement, though less so by necessity recently.
I could list many other demerits over the years. The local press has reported on many. There just does not happen to be an ‘Inside Bromley’. Maybe there should be?
Not being in debt is just one element of local authority responsibility. This can be achieved by selling off assets, not maintaining them, choosing a lower service level or pay, not providing a service etc.
You are also conflating Bromley Council with the London Borough of Bromley – the geographical area, its population, townscape and countryside, businesses, amenities etc.
I have encountered much good in Bromley Council staff and councillors.
That does not mean that everything is rosy re. policy decisions and practice.
Bromley Council, like Croydon Council, has had its own goes, over the years, at closing public libraries or reducing book stock etc, closing public toilets, reducing Park Rangers, building on ‘protected’ open space including the Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land, parks, including Crystal Palace Park, trying to do parkland disposal deals with UK, Kuwaiti or a Chinese property developer etc.
That the borough is not worse is partly due to the commitment of caring individuals and groups who have been obliged to, and come forward, to expend their own time, money and wellbeing to oppose bad proposals of policy and practice.
Also close in parts of the motor history of the park which is the RC track next to the swimming pool to apparently build a football pitch like it’s really needed I don’t think so it just seems so unnecessary to be doing some of the things that they’re doing in the park taking away some of the things that they have has had an effect on the local community like the 1 o’clock club which had been there for years and was used by parents to take their children and have fun and to hold parties and Events and the RC track which has been in the park for nearly 50 years and now has been closed down by Bromley Council, who would not renew the lease I feel very sad as I’ve been part of Crystal Palace Park for over 25 years and nothing has really changed in the park and if I was to be quite honest, I can’t see them having enough money to do what needs to be done, but to sharp things unnecessary and take things away from the local community I feel is just not fair