Crystal Palace National Sports Centre proposal 'falls way short', warn opposition group

Plans to overhaul Crystal Palace National Sports Centre will fail thousands of its users, according to an opposition group.

The future of the site reaches a crunch point on Saturday when the Mayor of London’s office makes public its proposals at the site.

But Crystal Palace Sports Partnership said they had significant concerns over key elements that “could compromise the future of the site’s operations”.

CPSP chair John Powell warned: “It falls way short of what many thousands of users will be hoping for.”

The site, which has become increasingly rundown, is believed to be costing taxpayers around £1million a year and there were fears the outdoor athletics track would be bulldozed.

That led sports stars past and present, including IAAF president Seb Coe, to push for its future along with the CPSP and a host of community groups using the site.

Ahead of Saturday’s meeting, Powell said: “There are aspects of the Greater London Authority plan which are promising but we will have to wait and see if our views are fully taken on board.”

There have been fresh fears over the future of the indoor track, the 25m swimming pool and the indoor dome, predominantly used for football, which some fear could be removed altogether.

The GLA gathering clashes with a swimming meeting on site on Saturday with the CPSP now pushing planners in the next 48 hours to put forward “an extended exhibition for all users of the centre and local area so they can have an opportunity to provide further feedback”.