Purpose

This report concerns the
proposed redevelopment and expansion of the Crystal PlaceFootball
Club’s (the Club) main stand at Selhurst Park following the
grant of planning permission to the Club.
 
It details the properties and
land that will need to be acquired by the Club from the Council as
part of the land assembly, the decanting and rehousing of Council
tenants directly affected by the development, the reimbursement of
the cost for the work undertaken by the Council to support the Club
in acquiring 30 Wooderson Close and the arrangements to introduce
an Area based Improvement Plan (AIP) to mitigate the effects of the
development on the local community.
 
Delegated authority of the
Corporate Director of Resources and section 151 officer to take the
Key Decision.
 
Please note, there will be
non-key decisions contained in the recommendations, for:
 
Corporate Director of
Housing
 
Corporate Director of
Sustainable Communities, Regeneration & Economic
Recovery
 
 

Content

For
Corporate Director of Housing
 
For the reasons set out in this
report and its appendices, the Corporate Director of Housing
AGREED (on the 12th
November 2025) to:
 
Approve that the Council
enter into the Wooderson Close Agreement
between the Council and the Club attached at Appendix 1 to this
report.  The primary purpose of this
agreement is to set the parameters for the relationship between the
Council and the Club for the redevelopment and expansion of the
Project.
 
Approve that the Council
enter into the DLA with the Club
attached at Appendix 6 to this report. The purpose of this
agreement is to permit the Club and its contractors to enter and
occupy the housing land in front of 26 and 28 Wooderson Close shown
coloured blue on the plan in the DLA (the Land)  and to  install a crane
to facilitate the works necessary to carry out the Club’s
redevelopment of the extension of the Main Stand at the Stadium and
to revert the Land to the Council for use as a car parking space at
the Club’s cost, as set out in paragraph 4.4 of this
report.  
 
 
For
Corporate Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer
 
For the reasons set out in this
report, the Corporate Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer
(in consultation with the Corporate Director of Housing)
AGREED (on the 28th
November 2025) to:
 
Approve the terms and the final
price for the disposal of the freehold interest in the Properties,
for a combined determined red book valuation of the sum set out in
Part B of this report and detailed in the Wooderson Close Property
Valuations and Updated Reports (Valuation Reports – Part
B).
 
Approve the sale of the
freehold interest in the Housing Land and the Highway Land at the
value agreed in the Valuation Reports in Part B of this
report.
 
 
For the reasons set out in this
report, the Corporate Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer
(in consultation with the Corporate Director of Sustainable
Communities, Regeneration & Economic Recovery) AGREED (on
the 28th November
2025:
 
To approve the sale of the
freehold interest in the Highway Land at the value agreed and noted
in the Valuation Reports (Part B).
 
Corporate Director of Sustainable Communities, Regeneration
& Economic Recovery
 
For the reasons set out in this
report, the Corporate Director of Sustainable Communities,
Regeneration & Economic Recovery AGREED (on the
12th November 2025
to:
 
Approve a Compulsory Purchase
Order Indemnity Agreement (CPOIA) to be entered into between the
Council and the Club to ensure the Council is fully indemnified by
the Club for all and any costs associated with the work undertaken
by the Council in supporting the Club in the seeking and the
proposed making of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to acquire 30
Wooderson Close, South Norwood, London SE25 6PJ (“30
Wooderson Close”) also required by the Club as part of its
land assembly requirements.  The terms
of the CPOIA are set out Appendix 2 of this report.
 
 

Reasons for the decision

The Club has an approved
planning permission dated 16 August 2024 under planning reference
18/00547/FUL (the “Planning Permission”) for the
following:
 
·        
An extension of the Main Stand will provide
additional spectator capacity (8,225 additional seats), additional
assembly, leisure and entertainment floorspace (24,522m²) and
a retail /restaurant unit (550m²). The footprint of the
proposed Main Stand would be extended to cover an additional 0.83
ha of land.  
 
·        
the demolition of six houses, and alterations and
reorganisation of the associated parking facilities and gardens,
including alterations to the flank elevation of no.20 Wooderson
Close.  
 
Wooderson Close Agreement
 
The
Council and the Club have developed a comprehensive set of
arrangements to identify and manage the issues affecting and
enabling the rehousing of the residents of Wooderson Close (WC
residents) whose homes will be specifically impacted by the
Club’s Project. These arrangements are set out in detail in
the WC Agreement and, as documented, principally relate to matters
required as part of the decanting, rehousing and financially
compensating the WC residents, in line with the Council’s
allocation policy, good practice and legal requirements. It
specifically responds to the following:
 
The
decanting arrangements for the Council’s secure tenants of
the Properties and the re-housing of these tenants including
associated support. This process has now been successfully
completed, as all the tenants have been decanted from the
Properties and rehoused within the Borough. The re-housing options
applied only to the Council’s tenants and the households of
the Properties which were required to enable the Project to take
place, not to occupants of properties not owned by the
Council.
 
The
valuation and sale of the Properties to the Club with an option to
re-let them back to the Council until required for demolition. The
Executive Mayor in Cabinet on 24 May 2023 approved the sale of
these properties and delegated authority to the Corporate Director
of Resources and s151 Officer to agree the terms and final price
for each disposal included within the Annual Asset Disposal
Plan.
 
The
sale of the Housing Land and the Highway Land required by the club
to facilitate the development.
 
The
Club’s responsibility to meet the Council’s costs in
identifying and acquiring the equivalent replacement social rent
properties in the Borough that have been lost to the development by
the Project.
 
The
award of £250k to be made to the Council by the Club for
developing an AIP to mitigate the impact of the Project by the
increased population and stress of match days on the local
infrastructure and the local community. This is a contribution
beyond the planning mitigation outlined in the Section 106
Agreement dated 1 August 2024 (‘s106
Agreement’).
 
Compulsory Purchase Order Indemnity Agreement
 
The
Club will not be able to implement the Planning Permission or
deliver the Project without acquiring the Properties, the Housing
Land and the Highway Land from the Council and arrangements are in
place for this land to be purchased by the Club.
 
However, the Club also needed to acquire 30 Wooderson Close
in order to implement the Project. 30
Wooderson Close is not in the ownership of the Council, and
negotiations between the Club and the owner of this property have
been protracted and difficult. Therefore, the Club asked the
Council to consider making a CPO to acquire this
property.
 
The
CPO Guidance states that powers to compulsorily purchase land are
intended to be used as a method of last resort. The Council had
commenced work to seek and make a CPO; however, the Club has since
agreed with the owner of 30 Wooderson Close to acquire the property
without the need to make a CPO and completion of the sale of the
property to the Club took place on 31 July 2025.
 
The
Club agreed to fully indemnify the Council against all costs
incurred by the Council in seeking, making and obtaining a CPO and
agreed to enter into a Compulsory Purchase Order Indemnity
Agreement (CPOIA) which extends to all cost incurred by the Council
regardless of whether 30 Wooderson Close is acquired under a CPO,
or via a private treaty negotiation with the owner, or whether the
CPO is implemented, or if the CPO expires. The details of the CPOIA
are set out in Appendix 2 of this report.
 
Development Licence Agreement.
 
The Club requires the use of
the Land for the temporary placement of a crane for the purpose of
the Club’s redevelopment of the extension of the Main Stand
at the Stadium.  The Club has then
agreed to construct a car parking space on the Land for the benefit
of the Council.
 
The Council has agreed to
permit the Club to enter and occupy the Land with any required
machinery or equipment for the purpose of installing a crane to
undertake the works set out in paragraph 
4.4.1  above in accordance with
the terms contained in the DLA for a period from and including the
date of the until and including 30 June 2027.  
 
The Club shall prepare and
deliver a Method Statement to the Council for the works required
for the redevelopment of the Main Stand at the Stadium including
plans and specifications for the re-establishment of the car
parking space on the Land to be agreed and approved by the Council
in accordance with the terms of the DLA.
 
In accordance with the terms of
the DLA the Club shall pay to the Council an Initial Licence
Fee  in the sum of £208 per month
for the period commencing on the date of completion of the DLA and
ending on the day immediately prior to the Licence Fee Commencement
Date (which is the date the Club ceases to utilise the Land for the
crane).
 
The Club shall then pay to the
Council a Licence Fee in the sum of £108 per month for the
period commencing on the Licence Fee Commencement Date and ending
on the date of practical completion of the works for the
construction of the car parking space. 
 
All other terms between the
Club and the Council are set out in the Development Licence
Agreement.
 

Alternative options considered

Do nothing
– this was rejected since it would be contrary
to the Council’s decision to approve the Club’s
planning application and would undermine the delivery and the socio
and economic benefits of the Project. 
 
Do not sell the Council land
and properties - Avoid the need to sell
the Properties, the Housing Land and the Highway Land to the Club
– the Council has considered extensively whether there can be
a way in which the Project  can be
delivered without the decant and subsequent sale of the Properties,
the Housing Land and the Highway Land to the Club. As set out in
the WC Agreement, the decision not to decant the Properties and
subsequently sell the Properties, the Housing Land and the Highway
Land to the Club would prohibit the Club from developing the
stadium and risk losing the Club’s presence in the Borough.
Due to the nature of the Project and the expansion proposed, this
is not possible as the stadium expansion simply cannot be delivered
without the sale and alterative land use of the Properties, the
Housing Land and the Highway Land.
 
Following these considerations,
the Council has concluded that the proposed Project could not be
delivered without the sale of the Properties, the Housing Land and
the Highway Land to the Club.