A Bromley Council candidate is one of five Green Party members fighting proposed development at Crystal Palace Park.
Tom Chance has joined party members from Croydon, Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham to contest the “huge commercial” venture planned by Chinese firm the ZhongRong Group.
In a land deal with the council, proposals would see the park restored and a new Crystal Palace built, turning the area, where five boroughs meet, into what the organisation says will be “major new cultural asset”.
Yesterday (April 29) the Greens announced members from each ward affected met with a party member of the London Assembly Darren Johnson, as well as representatives from local resident, business, heritage, and environmental groups.
Candidate for Bromley’s Crystal Palace ward Mr Chance said the move would “damage the park and local business, and make congestion and air pollution worse”.
He added: “It's now clear that the developer is trying to mislead the public with talk of rebuilding the Crystal Palace as a philanthropic gesture; it seems he wants to impose his vision on the community, to privatise and control a large part of the park in his own commercial interests with the support of Bromley Council and the Mayor of London.”
With issues such as biodiversity and privatisation in mind, members have instead pledged support for establishing a Community Land Trust, “owned and controlled by local people from the five boroughs”.
A position statement, signed by John Street (Bromley), Tracey Hague (Croydon), Jonathan Bartley (Lambeth), Chantal Frances (Southwark) and Helen Thompson (Lewisham), can be read here.
Would you like to see a new Crystal Palace? Email joshua.barrie@london.newsquest.co.uk or tweet me at @joshbythesea
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