Morgan Sindall on track to transform Crystal Palace National Sports Centre

Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed to transform the iconic Crystal Palace National Sports Centre into the home of UK athletics once more. Appointed by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to lead the redevelopment, the scheme is located at the heart of five boroughs, Bromley, Croydon, Lewisham, Lambeth, and Southwark.

Procured by Southern Construction Framework (SCF), Morgan Sindall plans to completely rejuvenate the Grade II sports centre that stretches across over 10 hectares, all while celebrating the site’s heritage and preserving historic features. The once iconic venue was the site of the first Women’s FA Cup final and has hosted everything from swimming and diving to athletics and Grand Prix motor-racing.

Breathing new life into the pools, indoor facilities, external pitches and athletics stadium, the tier one contractor will enhance the venue where Steve Backley became the first man to throw the modern javelin over 90 meters, Sebastian Coe set a UK outdoor record in the 800 meters and a bare-footed Zola Budd broke the world 5,000m record. It will once again become a centre of excellence where a new generation of athletes will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, enabling them to break and set new records.

Crystal Palace Sports Centre’s revival has been led by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has pledged to provide improved sporting facilities for the community. Khan’s election pledge is set to transform the sports centre into the UK’s only 24/7, 365 days home of athletics and swimming with completion on target for 2028. In 2024, the mayor also delivered a £23m investment boost from his Green Finance Fund to support the centre to go all-electric and reduce carbon emissions, eliminating the centre’s reliance on fossil fuels for the first time in its 60-year history.

In collaboration with Morgan Sindall Construction, the project’s restoration is being delivered alongside the main architect, Faulkner Brown, who are leading on the leisure refurbishment. Joining them in good company are sports masterplan specialists WOO Architects – part of the creatives team behind both the London and Paris Olympics, Max Fordham for decarbonisation and sustainability, and Alan Baxter Associates, whose focus is on conserving the site's impressive structural heritage.

To enhance the movement of the space, Morgan Sindall will combat the main building’s current environmental and acoustic contamination by constructing a new glazed screen amongst the heritage elements of the building to control the challenging environmental conditions between wet and dry leisure activities. Not only will this allow for visitors and participants alike to enjoy a more comfortable atmosphere, it will also prove advantageous during concurrent swimming galas and competitions in the sports halls to avoid an overwhelming transfer of noise.

Morgan Sindall is re-developing all pools on site including the 50m competition pool, the dive pool, and the 25m pool. As part of this programme, the project team will also refurbish and reinstall the iconic diving tower, setting the stage for the diving pool to make a splash once again.

In a desire to boost accessibility, plans also include a complete upgrade of the public realm to better connect Crystal Palace Sports Centre with the nearby railway station, attracting visitors across the capital city.

With its ongoing commitment to enhancing the communities in which it operates, Morgan Sindall has arranged a comprehensive suite of social value activities which have already commenced and will continue to do so throughout construction. Initiatives include a brand-new Knowledge Quad, which will open towards the end of 2025; a cash investment from its newly established ‘Just Transition Fund’; a wide range of career opportunities – from paid work experience and apprenticeships to full-time employment and training courses; and a series of careers events and engagement sessions with schools across the five boroughs.

To optimise the project’s sustainability performance, Morgan Sindall is deploying its proprietary, in-house carbon assessment tool, CarboniCa, throughout construction. CarboniCa is an innovative carbon calculation tool that allows the team to estimate, manage, and reduce carbon emissions throughout the building’s design, construction, and life cycle.

Richard Dobson, Area Director for Morgan Sindall in London, said:

We’re delighted to have been appointed to this project, as the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is an iconic facility that’s not only close to the hearts of people in the area but is also an important historic national sporting landmark.

We look forward to continuing our close and collaborative relationship with the Greater London Authority on this regeneration, which has been procured through the SCF framework. The project promises to breathe new life into the extensive sporting facilities, while delivering a wide range of health, wellbeing, and social value benefits for local communities.”

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is an historic and much-loved sporting and community facility where many UK sporting stars have started their careers and trained, but which needs major investment and refurbishment.

I am committed to this once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the site which will secure its future for decades to come.

With short-term improvements already delivered and Morgan Sindall Construction now appointed to deliver the design and build of the centre, 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, healthy London for all.”

Cllr Ryan Thomson, Councillor for Crystal Palace and Anerley, Crystal Palace and Anerley, said:

The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre holds such a special place within our community and the wider sporting world – with so many of us having trained, played sports, and built lifelong memories with our families and friends there.

We are thrilled to see this iconic venue in the heart of Crystal Palace being restored to its former glory.”

ENDS