(P.8) Croydon Council fights park cinema Plan

CROYDON ADVERTISER FRONT PAGE
23/10/98

Eco warriors [Ed. see note at the end] win unexpected support as councilors demand that a new London authority takes over running of Crystal Palace.

ECO-WARRIORS fighting plans for a vast cinema complex in Crystal Palace Park picked up a new ally this week when Croydon Council waded into the fray.

Councilors decided to fight the controversial plan by calling for the park to be taken away from Bromley Council and handed over to the new Greater London Assembly.

Labour-controlled Croydon voted by 36 votes to 2 in favour of an urgent motion supporting transfer of the park to the new assembly.

Bromley Council, which took over the park when the old Greater London Council was abolished, has been widely criticised for plans to put a cinema complex on the site of the old Crystal Palace.

The architectural style hardly reflects the style of Paxton's original world-famous building, said Labour Councilor Ian Payne, proposing the motion.

And to add insult to injury, Bromley wants to put a 1000 place car park on top of its proposed building in the middle of a crucial area of open space for five London boroughs.

"A Judicial Review against Bromley's plan is still under way but bringing this park back to the Greater London Authority would enable all five boroughs to take part in the decision," he said.

The plan was opposed by Conservatives on grounds of practicality.

"It would be better for you to sit down with your Labour colleagues in Bromley and see if you can reduce the scale of the scheme." Conservative leader Dudley Mead told Labour.

Conservative Nick Keable. making his maiden speech, told the meeting "It would be the Greater London Authority not the Greater London Assembly that is in charge."

"The motion is not right."

(Web Ed. note: The legal battle leading to the Judicial Review was waged and is being waged by the "Crystal Palace Campaign".)

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