MAYOR PLEDGES MILLIONS FOR PALACE REVAMP
KHAN VOWS TO DELIVER ‘OUTSTANDING VENUE’ WHICH COULD BECOME NEW HOME FOR ATHLETICS IN CAPITAL
MAYOR OF LONDON Sadiq Khan has pledged millions of pounds for a new athletics hub at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.
The money — believed to be in the single millions — is being spent to revitalise a 15,000-seat stadium that used to be the home for elite athletics in London but has slowly gone to ruin, with the track peppered with holes.
The revamp may take up to five years to reach completion, but the finished stadium could prove the new home for the sport in the capital, amid doubts over the sport’s long-term future at the London Stadium.
Campaigners welcomed the news after a decade-long fight and “so many false starts”, but warned it was potentially part of an early election push by Khan ahead of the next Mayoral vote in 2024.
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre opened in 1964 and used to host the London Grand Prix, featuring elite athletes ranging from Seb Coe to Usain Bolt in its prime.
Money had already been put aside to repair the swimming facilities at the centre, but there were doubts over the future of both the indoor and outdoor athletics tracks. The mayor’s office said a planning application is expected to go in next year, with building work commencing in 2025.
Khan said: “Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is a historic and muchloved sporting and community facility where many UK sporting stars have started their careers and trained, but which is in need of major investment and refurbishment.
“I am completely committed to this once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the site which will secure its future for decades to come.
“While work continues apace on our vision for the long-term future of the centre, I am delighted to announce that we intend to make a number of early improvements that we hope will make a huge difference to users of the centre.
“Over the coming months, we will continue to work closely with key stakeholders — including sporting bodies and wider community groups — to deliver an outstanding venue that our capital and country can be proud of.”
Campaign group Crystal Palace Sports Partnership welcomed today’s announcement, while also sounding a cautionary note.
Chairman John Powell said: “This is what we’ve wanted to hear for many years. We started on this path in 2014. There’s been a load of false starts since then, we’ve been in the starting blocks and been called back many times.
“This is a really positive announcement. We’d heard so much negativity, about the indoor track being got rid of, that I was pleasantly surprised. We 100 per cent support what’s proposed. This is the historic home of British athletics.
“But I hope this isn’t early electioneering. Mr Khan is a politician, and we know what politicians are like. The next I’m really hoping for is whoever is running for London Mayor against Khan, that that person signs up to pursuing the same line.”