Options Feasibility Study FAQs

We recognise that a number of plans and studies have been undertaken in the last 20-30 years but this is the first time that the Trustees have been in a position to clearly articulate the vision and mission for the Park & Palace and from which a route map for saving Ally Pally now and for future generations can be developed. 

It is essential to re-look at the options for the Park & Palace within the current market and funding context and to identify solutions which excite and engage stakeholders and potential funders alike; in addition to ensuring Ally Pally can maximise its economic and social regeneration potential across a wider footprint than just its immediate environs.

The consultation work in 2009/10 helped define the vision, which supports the existing mission statement. The vision is:

“To regenerate Alexandra Palace & Park, in the pioneering spirit of our founders, creating a proud, iconic London destination with global appeal – a successful, valuable and sustainable asset for all, including the local community and stakeholders.”

The mission is:
“To uphold, maintain and repair the Palace and to maintain the Park and Palace as a place of public resort and recreation and for other public purposes.” Alexandra Park and Palace Act 1985

To ensure the review included input from a variety of stakeholders, two stakeholder consultation workshops were held in March 2011. The Chair of APPCT wrote to various local organisations, committees, resident associations and special interest groups to invite a representative to attend a workshop. We also invited key corporate clients, park tenants and staff representatives. Further to this, the community section of the website included an open invitation on the remaining available consultation places. We requested that each group was represented by only one attendee in order to ensure a breadth of consultation attendees. A period of time was allowed for attendees to feed back to their respective groups and submit further feedback electronically, all of which was passed to Colliers International to include in the study.

Colliers International were selected following a competitive tender process. They have a wealth of relevant experience, gave a competitive price for undertaking the study and were considered to be the best for the job. They have successfully worked on a number of similar high profile regeneration projects. These include Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent, which is now a thriving commercial, residential and leisure destination for residents and visitors and Royal William Yard, Plymouth that created a successful vision to introduce commercial uses into a Listed Building, whilst respecting its historic setting. 

The cost is a competitive one for a complex study of this nature. It requires time-intensive research from a large team of skilled people with a range of professional expertise. They will deliver a thoroughly researched study with robustly reasoned options fully considered and appraised by experts at the forefront of their area of professional specialisms.

Regardless of the strategic concept applied to Alexandra Park and Palace, community use will be integral. The Vision adopted by the Trustees provides vital criteria in selecting a preferred option.

The draft preferred options will have taken stakeholder feedback into account. However, there will be further consultation during the Masterplanning stage which follows and which will also inform decisions ultimately taken by the Trustees of the charity in terms of feasible and sustainable future uses for Alexandra Palace, which uphold the vision and the mission they have pledged to uphold.

Once the study has been endorsed by the Board of Trustees, it will inform the Masterplanning process. Initially, the next step will be to develop a funding strategy for Masterplanning and source the funding necessary to undertake this work. It is likely that the Trustees will reappoint the Alexandra Park and Palace Regeneration Working Group to oversee the Masterplanning process, which will be undertaken by a specialist consultancy, selected following a competitive tendering process. Masterplanning is then likely to take approximately 12 months to complete, to include extensive public consultation.

It is too early to speculate what will happen to the individual parts of Alexandra Palace. This will start to become clearer as Masterplanning progresses. However, having recently invested £2.3m in the much-loved ice rink facility it is likely that skating will remain part of the offer in the immediate future. The unique assests such as the original BBC studios, Victorian theatre and the Willis organ are wonderful assets which need to be brought back into use in some form.

It is too early to say what – if any – development may be proposed, but Locum/Colliers International are well aware of the existing constrictions on developments in the park.

In order to live up to its original purpose and fulfill the longer term vision (and its very survival) Alexandra Palace is in need of regeneration and significant investment. Over 50% of the existing shell is unusable with £30m investment required. 

It is estimated that within 12 to 24 months, major infrastructural failings will occur to the fabric of the building. This will have a further detrimental impact on the cultural, commercial and community activities that take place within the building and grounds.

This will evolve as Masterplanning gets underway. Any development would be subject to the normal planning processes.