Crystal Palace FC plan return to Crystal Palace Park

[murphy]

Crystal Palace Press Conference on planned move to NSC at Crystal Palace Park

It looks as if Palace have sprung into action due to the Spurs v West Ham fight over the Olympic Stadium and possible implications for the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace Park.

I know Palace are very keen to develop a new stadium and the NSC is falling apart. There would need to be a huge investment in transport links for it to get approval though. If transport issues could be overcome I would be in favour myself and it sees the team return to their original home.

[Loz]

I hope not. There a few enough decent sports halls in London and no shortage of football grounds. I'd must rather see some money spent on updating the NSC.

[murphy]

Bromley & Croydon Councils in favour of Crystal Palace moving into the park

Councillor Stephen Carr, leader of Bromley Council, said: "Crystal Palace Football Club have spoken to us and we are very interested in their proposal to relocate the club to Crystal Palace Park.

"These are potentially exciting times for Crystal Palace Park and of course, we would need to look very carefully at the merits of any proposal.

"These fresh visionary ideas are welcome and ultimately, we want to improve the park and the wider area and any viable plan to improve the park could have a positive impact on the locality and secure a brighter future."

See the link for the full article.

I am pretty sure the plans Palace have would include regeneration of the park as a whole and in the other sports facilities already there. It could also mean that the previously proposed extension of the Croydon tramlink up to Crystal Palace would be much more likely as well. Palace go public with their plans tomorrow.

[murphy]

Pictures of new football stadium at Crystal Palace

Looking like West Ham will win the right to move to the Olympic stadium so the proposed move of Crystal Palace FC to the park looks more likely. The propsals include removing the current pool and turning it extra sports facilities, a new underground aquatic centre and a new athletics track for community use.

[Atticus]

Hi Murphy, not being a native of the parish, I'm not sure how the area is traditionally split along footy allegiances.

Is Peckham /East Dulwich more Milwall than it is Palace?

BTW, I think I'm going to start watching Hamlet, bored of poncy premiership.

[Keef]

As I've grown up in ED, I've known lots and lots of Millwall fans, nowhere near s many CP fans.

Lots of kids I knew in primary school in the 80s started supporting Millwal back then.

Think it would be great if CP "come home".

[Keef]

I love Crystal Palace Park, and the sense of history, what with the dinosaurs, and the foundations of the Great Exhibition Centre, but there is something depressingly bleak about it, and it has fallen in to disrepair (Tory council!!!). Would love to see new life injected in to the place!

[murphy]

Peckham is Millwall, East Dulwich mainly Millwall with some Palace. Main Palace support is Beckenham, Penge, Croydon and down into Surrey, Sussex and Kent but a fair few in Streatham, West Norwood and Brixton as well. Only ?20 to get into most games at Palace and only 20 mins by train or car. Very friendly at Palace especially since an ultras type group started up, they got lots of criticism at first but have made a big difference to the atmosphere.

I go the the odd Hamlet game but Palace are a great team to follow and if they move into the park are bound to start getting a lot more support from here.

[Scribe]

For clarity, here's an artist's impression (taken from drawing submitted to Bromley council's planning dept) of what the proposed development would look like, and how it would fit into the park:

http://www.cpfc.co.uk/javaImages/54/b9/0,,10323~9353556,00.jpg

[Atticus]

Thanks Murphy, I have to say, when Palace were in the Prem, it wasn't the away fixture I most looked forward to travelling to most, only Spurs is worse!

[louisiana]

Keef Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I love Crystal Palace Park, and the sense of

> history, what with the dinosaurs, and the

> foundations of the Great Exhibition Centre, but

> there is something depressingly bleak about it,

> and it has fallen in to disrepair (Tory

> council!!!). Would love to see new life injected

> in to the place!

CPP was a victim of the winding of London authorities, as well as subsequent Tory neglect. There are other possible very sympathetic plans afoot for the place (which could only really start to be discussed once the Materplan was approved a few months ago), with other possible sources of funding. But looks a little like the CPFC agenda has overtaken the agendas being pursued by local people who actually live around the Park.

[Jah Lush]

It would be great to have Crystal Palace back in their spiritual home. I do have a bit of a soft spot for them as all of my family on my dad's side are/were Palace fans and I saw my first live game of football at Selhurst Park as a seven-year-old but by then I was already a fan of Tottenham Hotspur.

[Narnia]

Given all this ground moving news and going home, perhaps Arsenal would return to Woolwich and Spurs could get the ground they want in North London by moving into the Emirates?

[Jah Lush]

Ha ha... very funny.

[Emerson Crane]

Narnia Wrote:

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> Given all this ground moving news and going home,

> perhaps Arsenal would return to Woolwich and Spurs

> could get the ground they want in North London by

> moving into the Emirates?

Any danger of Man U moving to erm.....Manchester?

[Narnia]

Where is this?

Oh, and where is this.............click on the local area map at the bottom if you are a bit lost!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

My most gruesome experience of football was at Selhurst Park. However, I think it's pretty important for a team to have a local ground.

My only reservation is that when I was a teenager, Crystal Palace was renowned for swimming and track events. As long as there is an alternative for the SE, I'd be okay with the plans.

[Keef]

Vice chair of CPFC was on Radio 4 this morning. He said there would be a new pool and athletics track if this happened. He didn't sound that confident to me though, saying there were several hrdles to overcome if it was going to happen...

[Jeremy]

Keef Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> there were several hrdles to overcome if it was going to happen...

Keef - is that a joke or a serious quote?

[Emerson Crane]

Narnia Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Where is this?

>

>

>

> Oh, and where is this.............click on the

> local area map at the bottom if you are a bit

> lost!

Last time I looked there was only one club IN Manchester and guess what, it ain't Man U.

[Keef]

Keef - is that a joke or a serious quote?

Ha ha, it was too early in the morning for me to think of a joke.

[murphy]

Keef Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Vice chair of CPFC was on Radio 4 this morning. He

> said there would be a new pool and athletics track

> if this happened. He didn't sound that confident

> to me though, saying there were several hrdles to

> overcome if it was going to happen...

I think Steve Parish the Palace co-chairman is very confident, Bromley and Croydon councils both support the Palace move. As West Ham are now confirmed winners (just Boris to rubber stamp) Bromley are now faced with what on earth to do with a crumbling NSC plus all the problems with the pool and the general poor state of the park. Bromley are on record as saying they see Palace moving in as a good opportunity to redvelop the whole site, greatly improve the sports facilities and the park in general.

Bromley and Croydon also see the Palace move as key in getting the Croydon tramlink extension up to Crystal Palace. The route and costing for the extension have been done and its back on the Mayor's transport blueprint.

The main issue to overcome will be local residents objections, the key one being transport. If the tramlink extension gets approval and parking restrictions are put in on match days it will be a huge step forward in solving those issues.

Palace are looking to do the planning application by the end of the year with a view to moving into a new stadium in 2015. If it does come off I'm sure it will be a couple of years later than that.