Anyone walking through the park can plainly see for themselves that it is in much need of attention. The Italianate terraces are positively dangerous; the sphynxes are dilapidated and have graffiti on them. The old statue plinths stand as sad monuments to the art work they once supported. There are wilder areas (on the hilltop) which are dangerous to walk through and attract fly-tipping. The subway from the ex-high level railway platform into the old Crystal Palace is in bad need of repair. There is too much concrete, too many fenced-off areas, inadequate toilets, a small disused fountain basin surrounded by a fence and containing rubbish..... evidence everywhere of a lack of investment in the park in cash, time and care.
A large majority of people attending the public exhibitions (marquees-in-the-park and other events) wanted more than just the basic make-over. The Master Plan reflects this aspiration and allows for three levels of work namely Basic, Regional and National.
The Master Plan includes a provision for up to 180 housing units. They will occupy land at the Rockhills corner of the park with some infill units along the north boundary (Crystal Palace Park Road) and will cover about 1.5 acres of land. This is land which has never been accessible to park users. In fact, the accessible park area will increase by about 4.5 acres if plans for the Rockhills corner are fully realised. For comparison, the total park area is about 200 acres.
Importantly, the housing will make a net contribution to park refurbishment of about £13.5 million. Another significant consideration is that the increased activity in that area will help provide security to the new entrance and the buildings will include some general amenities. The fact that housing is part of the Master Plan could also help attract matched funding to contribute to the overall costs.
For all that, the housing has been a contentious issue for some people and, indeed, the LDA have said that, if they can find funding in another way, they will. There is no reason to disbelieve what they say. The situation has not been helped by a lot of misinformation put about suggesting that large areas of the park will be covered with houses - this is plainly not so. If the Master Plan were approved tomorrow in its entirety, the housing could only be built as described in the application, no bigger area or greater number of units can be built. Also, the final planning permission (this is only an Outline Planning Permission application) has to go through a detailed design phase where the quality and exact look of the housing will come under great scrutiny.
Finally, it should also be borne in mind that Britain is severely short of housing. It would be a bit churlish of us not to play a small part in alleviating this crisis especially since it hardly infringes at all on what we want.
The total cost of implementing the Master Plan is £67.5 million. This is broken into three phases - Basic Park Improvements £41.8 million; Regional Park + £16.8 million; National/International Destination + £8.9 million. Total cost £67.5 million. For a detailed breakdown see the COST PLAN link on the Master Plan page.
Who's paying is a much more difficult question to answer. The Park Working Group is currently investigating a variety of possible funding sources however nothing can properly be progressed until Outline Planning approval has been granted - there will be much more activity in this area.
