The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has welcomed a key milestone in the once-in-a-generation redevelopment Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, as a planning application is submitted for the transformative renovation of the historic sporting and community facility.
Opened in 1964, the centre comprises of an athletics stadium, indoor arena, swimming and diving pools, together with a large gym and a multitude of other internal and external sports facilities.
The historic venue was the site of the first Women’s FA Cup final, and has hosted everything from swimming and diving to world class athletics over the years – but is in need of major investment.
Sadiq announced major plans for a redevelopment of the site in summer 2023 to upgrade sporting facilities for the local community, including a major refurbishment of the 50m swimming and diving pools and improvements to the indoor facilities, external pitches and athletics stadium.
Last year, the Mayor confirmed the appointment of Morgan Sindall Construction to deliver the design and build of the centre. The leading UK contractor specialises in sustainable, community-focused projects and have formally submitted a planning application to the London Borough of Bromley in order to bring the 15-hectare site up to a modern standard, while showcasing its heritage and historic features.
Sustainability is at the heart of the project, with the new design targeting a 97 per cent reduction in carbon emissions through sustainable construction choices, such as adding photovoltaic panels (PV) to the centre’s roof and using air source heat pumps to provide heating and cooling.
Sadiq delivered a £23m investment boost from his Green Finance Fund in 2024 to support the centre to go all-electric and reduce carbon emissions, eliminating the reliance on fossil fuels for the first time in its 60-year history. [3]
Key aspects of the proposed work include:
- A full refurbishment of the Grade II*-listed Crystal Palace National Sports Centre building. This will include improved accessibility, an enlarged gym and new dedicated spaces for sporting clubs.
- The creation of a six-court Padel centre, 3×3 basketball courts, five-a-side football pitches and a full-size artificial multi-sports pitch.
- The diving pool and 50m swimming pool will return in the aquatics hall – meaning that shallow water, 25m swimming, 50m swimming and diving will all be provided in one space and on one level for the first time.
- Improvements to the indoor sports zones to elevate elite performance by providing year-round use for clubs, athletes and the community
- A new community space where sports, leisure, and play combines with a café, 200m running track, a 3×3 basketball court, and an outdoor gym.
- Renovations to the existing stands in the stadium including completing the bowl with additional seating. This has been designed in collaboration with athletes to boost the atmosphere at live events.
As the next phase of work progresses, the Mayor will work with partners to secure investment for the stadium works, ensuring the whole site can reach its full potential and continue to inspire Londoners for years to come.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “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.
“I am pleased with the positive progress that has been made so far and we look forward to working closely with partners and the local community to create an outstanding sporting venue as we work together to build a better, fairer London for all.”
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.”
Key members of the project working alongside the Mayor and Morgan Sindall include sports masterplan specialists WOO Architects (part of the creative team behind both the London and Paris Olympics), decarbonisation and sustainability experts Max Fordham, architects Faulkner Brown, and engineers and heritage conservation specialists Alan Baxter Associates.