Personally I thought the Crystal Palace ought to have been reinstated in some form, housing art work and also a botanical garden!

Still, its great that things are on the move at last. I started swimming there over 20 years ago and watched the place deteriorate over the years. The heating system was continually breaking down and the pool closed for long periods. It became unpredictable. And now its shut due to asbestos.
The park is nice but always could have been better layout and planting wise ; that central avenue is fantastic. -and you could never find anything nor work out exactly where you where. It took a Bill Bryson book to teach me about the dinosaur parks/ historical importance !
Its a shame that its taken so long, and as pointed out , its future largely frustrated by Bromley Council.

For me this is a cautionary tale about how we let our treasures and public buildings and spaces sink into oblivion and how much potential has been lost. By treasures I don't mean fusty old museums and buildings that are used only by the elite, but something 'living' with a wide range of activities which was widely used by the public and which could have bettered peoples lives had provision and aesthetics been more imaginative. There was undoubtedly lots of revenue generating potential which could have benefited local people.
There was/is a pool, sports centre, physio centre, park, play area,dinosaurs, farm, concert venue, cafe, attractive train station, all which could have been turned into a sporting and cultural gem. Where else do you get such a wide range of things in one space?

Its great that things are happening at last but we need to learn why we as a society continually let our public spaces decline to this state.