NEW VISION FOR CRYSTAL PALACE PARK Landscape architects appointed to prepare master plan for reviving the park The London Development Agency (LDA) has appointed leading international landscape architects, Latz + Partner, to develop a new vision for a revived Crystal Palace Park. Latz + Partner’s initial ideas agree with the Park Planning Framework’s focus on greening the centre of the park, which is currently dominated by car parking and tarmac roads. The plans also include the restoration of Joseph Paxton’s central pathway linking the Hilltop and the Penge Gate by removing the unsightly concrete buildings in front of the National Sports Centre (NSC). Tilman Latz, lead landscape architect for the project said ‘Turning tarmac to turf will create a new heart for the park, allowing new uses and activities.’ He added, ‘We will honour Paxton’s vision while creating a modern park for the 21st Century.’ Latz + Partner will be drawing up design plans over the next few months. They will lead the detailed master planning of the park with the submission of a planning application to Bromley pencilled in for the summer of 2007. The process will include extensive public consultation and focus on both rejuvenating the park and also its role as a catalyst for wider regeneration. NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE PARK ALL LIT UP Park fireworks display on November 29th A special fireworks display and visual performance will be held in Crystal Palace Park on November 29th. The display will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the burning down of the original Crystal Palace in 1936 and celebrate the emerging plans for the park’s revival. The hour long event will start at 6pm and last until 7pm on Wednesday November 29th. The fireworks display was originally the idea of the Crystal Palace Foundation (CPF), and is being funded by the LDA and the Mayor of London. The CPF is a local voluntary group dedicated to preserving the history of the Crystal Palace. The Foundation has worked closely with the LDA and the event producers, Greenwich and Docklands Festivals, to help bring this spectacular event to life. The fireworks display starts at 6.30pm and will be preceded by a 25 minute film of historical footage of the original Palace on a large digital video screen. Music and visual displays will accompany this along with appearances of the well known figures of Joseph Paxton and Queen Victoria! There will also be a Community Marquee, with stalls from local community groups and a display stand about the park’s history and information about the upcoming master plan. FishermansGate - disabledaccess onlyVIEWING AREACintraGateCrystal Palace Park RoadCintra ParkSITE OF THECRYSTAL PALACENATIONALSPORTSCENTRECrystal Palace Park RoadAnerley Hill WELCOME TO PARKNEWS Welcome to ParkNews, the first newsletter about Crystal Palace Park. Our job is to keep you informed about what’s going on in the park. We will be producing regular editions distributed free to the entire Crystal Palace area across the five boroughs surrounding the park. The London Development Agency is working with the London Borough of Bromley and other partners to create a new vision for the park. The aim is to revive the park, creating a modern, twenty-first century open space, which meets the needs of local people, sportspeople, and the public at large. The park is a much loved asset, with a long history stretching back to its opening as the permanent home of the Great Exhibition in 1854. The Crystal Palace itself burnt down in 1936 and the Hilltop now stands unused and partly fenced in. Over recent years the park as a whole has been in sad decline. Different parts of the park have had various uses, including a motor racing track. Major improvements are planned for the park such as increased green open space and improved park facilities, such as toilets, public access, park entrances and children’s play facilities. This dramatic new facelift could see between £35-£50 million being invested into the park in coming years. Watch this space and ParkNews will keep you informed about what’s going on, how to have your say and the best way of getting involved in the park. TURNSTILES AND FOOTBRIDGE TO GO BY SPRING 2007 Long awaited park improvements to take place by next April The 1960’s concrete turnstiles and footbridge linking Crystal Palace railway station to the NSC and stadium are to be demolished by spring 2007. The structures have long been considered a local eyesore and form a forbidding entrance to the park. The plans are to replace the concrete structures with a simple landscaped space, which would provide a new, attractive and friendly welcome for visitors arriving by train to the park. Paid for by the LDA, the new entrance will be designed to help sign-post visitors to different parts of the park. Other short-term improvements to the park planned for next year include the removal of the hoardings around the hilltop caravan site and the taking down of the unnecessary fencing throughout the park. FUTURE OF LOCAL SPORTS FACILITIES SECURED Following extensive discussions with English Heritage, the plans are now for the NSC to be renovated and after the Olympics it will accommodate low-key uses, such as 5-a-side football. The plans are now to maintain the athletics stadium in its current structure until 2012 and then reconfigure it to house a new regional sports centre, allowing the Athletics Grand Prix and London Youth Games to stay in the park until the Olympics. Currently a feasibility study is taking place looking into the future of the main NSC swimming pool. The study, which should be completed by Christmas, is looking at whether it will be possible to replace the equipment or whether it will be necessary to construct a temporary building to house a relocatable swimming pool, which would be moved into any new sports centre after 2012. LISTENING TO LOCAL PEOPLE We want to know what you think about Crystal Palace Park and the emerging plans for the park. Over the next few months there will be a series of events designed to keep you informed and let you have your say. This will include: • Regular editions of ParkNews • A revamped interactive community website for the park • Road-show exhibitions coming to local town centres, housing estates and community centres • Public workshops about key issues for the park’s future • New ParkPoint notice boards around the area where you can find the latest news about the park • An information hotline • A summer public exhibition displaying the final master-plan for the park Information hotline 020 7357 6894 or email cpp@localdialogue.com parknews Paid for and distributed by TELL US WHAT YOU THINK If you would like to be kept informed of the plans for the park and be invited directly to key events, please give us your contact details. Name Address Email If you would like to receive our regular email updates then please supply your email address. Everyone who does so will be entered into our free prize draw with the chance of winning a new iPod. We would like to hear your views about the park and the emerging plans to revive it. Please fill in the comment box below and return it to the pre-paid FREEPOST address. Comments ParkNews CPP Consultation Local Dialogue LLP FREEPOST 3717 SE1 2BR # NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2006 ENTRANCE FOR FIREWORKS Turnstile entrance National Sports Centre Aerial photo of park MULTI-MILLION £ IMPROVEMENTS PLANNED FOR THE PARK CRYSTAL PALACE PARK OPENS 1854 The huge glass and iron structure built to house the Great Exhibition was moved from Hyde Park to Sydenham Hill. Although the exact figures won’t be known until the plans are finalised, the park improvement is expected to cost between £35-50million. The LDA will be part funding this work with the aim of helping to revive, not just the park itself, but also the surrounding area. However, an investment of that size will mean having to find other funding sources as well. A bid will be made for National Lottery funding to renovate the Italian Terraces, which have fallen into sorry disrepair over the years. The LDA will also seek donations from charitable trusts, grant bodies and business organisations, although there is still likely to be a funding gap. In order to meet the gap other sources will have to be found. One of the options being considered is allowing limited residential development on the edge of the park on areas that are already closed to the public, such as the Caravan Club site. These ideas are still being considered with the master planners in conjunction with dedicated local community representatives as part of the ongoing dialogue process. TIME LINE Here are just a few dates from the park’s amazing history. We want to know what things from the park’s history are special to you. Tell us your memories of Crystal Palace Park by replying on our comment slip. PETER PAN ON ICE - A FLYING SUCCESS The Peter Pan on Ice event has been a great success so far. Many of the shows are sold out and extra performances are being laid on due to popular demand. Audience members who have seen it have been really impressed with the magical show. Some have also said how wonderful it is to have such a significant, large scale, quality event for all ages here at Crystal Palace Park again. This year there will not be a winter ice skating rink at Crystal Palace. Last year the rink was located at the hilltop site, but although a success, it proved costly and impractical due to the lack of water and power supplies. Initial plans to relocate the rink into the centre of the park would have resulted in the loss of benefits to local businesses. The money that would have been spent on the temporary ice rink will now be invested in long-term infrastructure improvements for the park such as lighting and security. The improvements will help to secure the potential for intended future events in the park, such as the popular Farmer’s Market, while the savings will potentially fund security improvements such as CCTV. HIDDEN TREASURES Crystal Palace Park has long been known as the ‘People’s Park’. It is the people who use and love it who have helped make it such a special place. ParkNews will be taking a regular look at some of these people and groups that help make the park the place it is. PARK RANGERS Crystal Palace Park has a team of park rangers who help run the park. Employed by Bromley Council, the rangers are responsible for much of what goes on in the park from day to day. From providing helpful advice to visitors to tending to the park’s wildlife and trees to overseeing major events, the rangers are key to keeping the park running. Led by Senior Park Rangers, Andy Hayden and Adam Jenkins, the rangers can be seen out and about in the park in their distinctive green uniforms throughout the day. They operate a Park Information Line on 020 8778 9496 and an emergency out of hours contact on 020 8464 4848. NATIONAL SPORTS CENTRE AND ATHLETICS STADIUM 1964 This was the first 400m track to be built in View of “English landscape” in park TELEVISION 1934 - 1937 John Logie Baird used the south tower to house his television company. The first television pictures were broadcast from Crystal Palace. England. Crystal Palace is the home to the British Grand Prix, the premier athletics events in the UK. The NSC was built with a 50m swimming pool. LONDON BOROUGH OF BROMLEY TAKE CONTROL OF PARK 1986 After the dissolution of the Greater London Council, responsibility for the park was handed over to the London Borough of Bromley. APPOINTMENT OF LATZ + PARTNER 2006 The LDA appointed Latz + Partner to lead the detailed master planning of the park and to submit a planning application to Bromley in mid 2007. “YOU’RE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BLOW THE BLOODY DOORS OFF!” 1969 Scenes from The Italian Job starring Michael Caine were filmed in the park. WATER TOWERS 1939 With the onset of World War II, it was decided to demolish the water towers FESTIVAL OF EMPIRE 1911 Three-quarter size models of the colonial parliament buildings were erected in the grounds to contain exhibits of each country's products. FA CUP FINALS 1895-1914 The last match to be held there was in 1914 when George V became the first reigning monarch to watch the final. DINOSAURS 1854 The dinosaur models were the first replicas ever produced before Darwin’s The Origin of Species was published. They created a major public attraction and effectively became the world’s first theme park. built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel as it was feared that German bombers could use them to navigate their way to London. MOTORCAR RACING IN THE PARK 1926 – 1973 The park was used as a motorcar racing circuit from 1926 until the war. Racing resumed in the park after 1953 until the 1970s. DESTRUCTION BY FIRE 1936 On the 30th November 1936 fire engulfed the entire Palace. The fire could be seen right across London. 20061854