Planning submitted for the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre’s transformative renovation

Proposals for a sustainable, accessible, and world-class transformation of the iconic Crystal Palace National Sports Centre (CPNSC) have been submitted by Morgan Sindall Construction to the London Borough of Bromley.

The comprehensive refurbishment project has been procured using the Southern Construction Framework (SCF), with Morgan Sindall appointed as the main contractor.

The submitted plans will holistically rejuvenate the Grade II*-listed sports centre, originally opened in 1964, by bringing the 15-hectare site up to a modern standard while showcasing its heritage and historic features. This will include enhancing facilities to support sports from the grassroots up to the national elite level, setting a new standard for inclusivity through accessible design upgrades, and extensive sustainability improvements to substantially decarbonise the venue. There are also ambitions to work with partners to breathe fresh life into the world-famous athletics stadium

The overall proposals have gained the public backing of more than 15 national governing sports bodies and local authority leaders as well as seeing significant support and engagement from the area’s community. Recent public consultations have seen more than 500 residents attend meetings to discuss the plans.

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 creating a centre for everyone, an enlarged gym and new dedicated spaces for sporting clubs
• The diving pool and 50m swimming pool will return in the aquatics hall. Shallow water, 25m swimming, 50m swimming, and diving will all be provided in one space and on one level for the first time
• Improving the indoor sports zones to elevate elite performance by providing year-round use for clubs, athletes, and the community
• The development’s ‘More Courts, More Sports, More Play’ ethos will see the creation of a six court Padel centre, 3x3 basketball courts, five-a-side football pitches and a full-size artificial multi-sports pitch.
• Renovating the existing stands in the stadium and adding a new North Stand. The new stand has been designed in collaboration with athletes to boost the atmosphere at live events. These upgrades will turn the historic sporting stage into a year-round arena for London’s champions of tomorrow. Substantial accessibility improvements are proposed across the whole site, including a new step-free route between the Penge and Crystal Palace sides of the park.
• To secure the future of the centre through sustainable design, previous internal environmental issues are being addressed, with a new glazed screen separating the wet and dry areas to reduce noise and humidity, and an upgraded heating strategy will reduce energy demand by 70%
• A new community space where sports, leisure, and play combines with a café, 200m running track, a 3x3 basketball court, and an outdoor gym. All these facilities will be free to access and open to the public

Sustainability is at the centre of the project, with the new design targeting a 97% reduction in carbon emissions. This target has been calculated utilising the CarboniCa digital carbon calculation tool and will be achieved 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.

The CPNSC has been a central fixture in the nation’s sporting landscape and has borne witness to many historic moments. This includes the first Women’s FA Cup final, Steve Backley becoming the first man to throw the modern javelin over 90 meters, and a bare-footed Zola Budd breaking the world 5,000m record. The renovation will celebrate these sporting moments with commemorative and interactive design features.

As well as celebrating magnificent past sporting glory, the development will provide opportunities for South London’s future by providing upskilling and training opportunities for young people with Morgan Sindall. To date over 40 people have been involved in the project’s social value initiatives, including the Future Palace Programme, which ensures young people play a meaningful role in the CPNSC’s transformation.

Led by Beyond the Box CIC, and delivered with Morgan Sindall and key project partners, the Future Palace Programme has engaged 20 young people to date aged 15–25 from eight London boroughs, including school students, university students, graduates, freelancers and ‘NEET’ participants. Through a series of workshops, the initiative strengthens relationships between young people and the project team, informing key decisions with lived experience that will have an impact on how the centre serves the local community.

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 as planning for its net-zero transformation has been submitted.

This is an historic and much-loved 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 of London and Morgan Sindall include sports masterplan specialists WOO Architects, part of the creative team behind both the London and Paris Olympics, the decarbonisation and sustainability experts Max Fordham, architects Faulkner Browns, and engineers and heritage conservation specialists Alan Baxter Associates.

The proposals can be viewed on the dedicated project webpage. The full planning application can be viewed on the London Borough of Bromley's planning portal.

ENDS