A historic sports centre which hosted the first Women’s FA Cup final is set to close for two years as its £130m transformation gets underway.
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre will shut on 31 December, with major construction work beginning in January.
The fresh timetable was announced by Beckenham and Penge MP Liam Conlon after he met Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock in Parliament, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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Mr Conlon said: “After funding was secured from our Labour Mayor of London, and with the support of our Labour Government and local Labour councillors, this project is now firmly on its way, with work to start in January.
“The centre will close at the end of December for two years.”
The once-in-a-generation redevelopment will bring the centre’s Olympic-standard swimming and diving facilities back into use.
Plans include the return of the 50m competition pool and diving pool, while an existing learner pool will be enlarged to create a separate 25m pool.
New outdoor facilities will include basketball courts, five-a-side football pitches, six padel courts and a full-size artificial multi-sports pitch.
The Grade II-listed main building will also gain an enlarged gym and new areas for sporting clubs.
Indoor improvements include a 100m running track, climbing facilities and a specialist weightlifting area.
Step-free access will be introduced across the site as part of efforts to make the centre more accessible.
Solar panels, air-source heat pumps and other modern heating systems are expected to reduce the facility’s carbon emissions by 98%.
Mr Conlon added: “After Boris Johnson and the Tories tried to demolish the stadium in 2014, our community successfully campaigned to save it.”
The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre opened in 1964 and became known as the spiritual home of British athletics.
It has hosted world-class swimming, diving and athletics, as well as the inaugural Women’s FA Cup final in 1971.
However, its pools have remained closed for years, and parts of the ageing site have fallen into disrepair.
Plans for the 15-hectare redevelopment were unanimously approved by Bromley Council’s Development Control Committee on 23 July.
The planning application attracted 390 representations in support and 406 objections, with many concerns relating to climbing provision and the site’s motor-racing heritage.
Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed to design and build the redeveloped centre.
The Mayor of London’s Green Finance Fund has provided £23m towards making the facility all-electric and ending its reliance on fossil fuels.
The wider project is targeting completion in 2029, although further investment and commercial partners are still being sought to deliver the full long-term vision for the athletics stadium.
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