Sadiq Khan has announced that plans have been submitted for redevelopment of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, aiming to restore the historic venue and transform it into a modern sports and community facility.
With the centre opening in 1964 and designed by Norman Engleback, who also designed the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the SouthBank and the Hayward Gallery, it has grade 2 listed status and has been the home of many major historical sporting events including the first women’s FA Cup Final.
“I am delighted that the once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre has reached another key milestone with the submission of the planning application for its transformation.
“This is an historic and much-loved national sporting and community facility, where many UK sporting stars have started their careers and trained, but it needs major investment and refurbishment and I am committed to supporting this.”
There is a focus on making the site more accessible and sustainable, by reducing carbon emissions by 97% by installing solar panels and air source heat pumps, to ventilate and heat the building.
New facilities are also proposed as part of the transformation, these include padel courts, five-a-side football pitches, 3×3 basketball courts and a new multi-sport artificial pitch. The plans aim to create a wider range of opportunities for both professional athletes and local residents to use the centre.
Morgan Sindall Construction have been appointed to design and complete the refurbishments, with the construction projected to finish in 2028.
Richard Dobson, Area Director for Morgan Sindall in London, said: “The ideas that have been laid out in the planning application for Crystal Palace National Sports Centre’s transformative regeneration represent something quite ambitious and different.
“Everyone working on this scheme has pushed hard to make the design a showcase in what a modern, sustainable, inclusive and community-centred leisure centre should look like – all while paying homage to the venue’s inspiring legacy.
“This combination of driving factors means the site will not only reclaim its original vision of being a ‘glass pavilion in the park’ that supports the health and wellbeing of Londoners, but we will have laid the groundwork for a centre of excellence where a new generation of athletes can break and set their own records.
The planning application has now been submitted and will be reviewed by London Borough of Bromley Council. If approved, construction work could begin in the coming years as part of a long-term plan to revive one of London’s most iconic sporting venues.
Featured image credits: Mayor of London
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