Lynne Featherstone

Last week Nigel Scott (Liberal Democrat by-election candidate in the Alexandra by-election) published his plan for the future of Alexandra Palace:

• Establish a new board with independent, expert trustees representative of local and national interests, with an independent Chair.
• Ensure proper consultation with residents about the Palace’s future.
• Refurbish the ice rink, make the Victorian theatre fully usable and multi-purpose, make the historic TV studios an educational visitor attraction and support the organ society’s restoration work.
• Protect the CUFOS community centre and its valued activities.
• Make getting to the site via public transport easier (such as Oyster at Alexandra Palace rail station).
• Provide the trading company with the room and encouragement to thrive, so that expanded charitable activities can be fully-funded.
• Actively seek funding sources appropriate to the charitable status of the Trust.
• Clarify the financial contribution of Haringey Council by an annual grant to the charity to cover the costs of maintaining the public road and park.
• Retain ultimate public control in the interests of public benefit.
• Fully recognise the increasingly unique value – as London gets ever denser – of Alexandra Palace and Park to local people and Londoners.

A good plan! Alexandra Palace is a cultural and historical icon that needs to be raised above the quagmire of Haringey Labour’s financial and political bungling. As Nigel said:

“Alexandra Palace is a community treasure. Labour’s shady and incompetent dealings with the Palace’s have been fully exposed this week. This must now stop.

“We need a plan that will really engage with the people of Haringey, a plan that will provide independence from Labour’s incompetent meddling with strong independent leadership. We need a restored building that cherishes the Palace’s historic uniqueness and protects the good work carried out by CUFOS.”