Bromley Council’s scrapping of the massively opposed £75m Crystal Palace Park multiplex scheme was hailed at the weekend by leading politicians. Tessa Jowell, Minister for Labour in the Blair government, said it was “ wonderful news, more than we could possibly have hoped for”. For her Conservative election opponent in Dulwich & W Norwood, Nicholas Vineall it was “a quite fabulous result”, but, blaming Labour and John Prescott for not stopping the planning approval, he said “we cannot afford another development like the Crystal Palace multiplex”. Darren Johnson, GLA, London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s environment adviser, who has led the Mayor’s opposition to the scheme, commented that Bromley’s stated disappointment showed “they are still out of touch with the views of local people”. Johnson insisted that any future development for such a site would have to gain the Mayor’s approval.

Bromley’s sudden capitulation last Friday after a four-year battle shocked both the development industry and local government, as much as it delighted opponents. It ostensibly resulted from the terms of an agreement with the developer which had been kept secret. Until now developer London & Regional Properties Ltd (L&R) had insisted it had UCI cinemas as its major tenant and would be begin construction in October, once pending court challenges were completed.

But in Friday’s statement Bromley Council revealed that developer L&R had “failed to complete the lease within the prescribed period”; Bromley was terminating its development agreement and taking legal advice “including any claims the council may have against L&R”. L&R declined to comment.

Philip Kolvin, chairman of the Crystal Palace Campaign which for over four years has mobilised intense community opposition, taking actions to the highest courts and the European Commission, issued the following statement: