The Alexandra Palace and Park Consultative Committee met on Monday 09 March 2026 to review the progress of the Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust and to discuss a draft strategic plan for the next decade. The meeting's report pack detailed the Trust's achievements in entertainment, culture, climate resilience, heritage protection, park safeguarding, archive management, community engagement, and overall resilience during the 2025/26 financial year. It also outlined a proposed ten-year strategic plan focusing on infrastructure, park enhancements, a creative campus, heritage restoration, environmental sustainability, and strategic partnerships.

Charitable Trust Progress Report

The Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust's progress report for the 2025/26 financial year was scheduled for discussion. The report highlighted the Trust's vision to Create a Sustainable Home for All That We Do and detailed achievements across several strategic goals.

The Trust received national recognition at Prime Minister's Questions, with Keir Starmer acknowledging its importance as an iconic British venue and a vital part of the nation's cultural life. The report emphasised that income generated through events directly funds the mission to care for the Grade II listed Park and Palace for the public. Alexandra Park and Palace welcomes over 4 million visitors annually and generated £108 million in economic impact for London in 2024/25, with £79 million captured within the Borough of Haringey.

Provide Great Entertainment and Culture for All: The Trust reported a strong programme of concerts, theatre, sports, and exhibitions. High-profile concerts and residencies, including Fred Again.., Solomon, Lorna Shore, Fatboy Slim, Pawsa, and Motionless in White, were noted. The theatre programme featured productions such as Sunny Afternoon The Kinks musical, Kyla Cobbler, Whitney Queen of the Night, and a successful two-week residency by Stewart Lee. The Fresh Art Fair also saw increased visitor numbers. Leisure activities, including the Ice Rink and food and beverage outlets, continued to perform well. The new rooftop attraction, Summit: Alexandra Palace Rooftop Adventure, opened in February 2026 to strong demand. Alexandra Palace was also shortlisted as a finalist for Venue of the Year at the Music Week Awards 2026.

Build Climate Change Resilience: A funding application was submitted to Haringey's Community Carbon Fund for secondary glazing at the former station building (CUFOS) to improve thermal performance. A planning application was submitted for solar PV at the Boat House, projected to generate over 8,000kWh per annum. The Theatre Green Book self-assessment was completed at a basic level, and work began with Mott MacDonald on the Zero Carbon Accelerator project.

Protect Heritage Assets: Conservation masonry works continued in East Court, focusing on removing inappropriate historic cement repairs and using breathable materials. A Listed Building Consent application was submitted for lead capping to prevent water ingress.

Safeguard the Park: Volunteers and corporate groups engaged in habitat management, built wildlife structures, and planted bulbs. A new bird-watching platform was constructed using recycled materials. Park maintenance teams completed seasonal tasks, removing approximately 30 tonnes of rubbish. Safety work to remove dead, dying, and dangerous trees was ongoing, with around 40 trees felled and 60 pruned. Contractors undertook repairs to footpaths, gate posts, and bollards, and the boating lake outflow pipe was cleared. Volunteer activities included pruning in the rose garden, cutting back bramble, and tending to orchards. Thames Water was undertaking a project involving trial holes along the Lower Road, requiring temporary compounds and some tree work, with any removed trees to be replaced. The Alexandra Park Sports Club intended to install a new sign to improve visibility and wayfinding.

Protect Archives and Share Stories: A Business Archives Council grant funded a project archivist who surveyed records in the SE Pavilion. An archive workshop was held for volunteers at Bruce Castle Museum. The project aimed to complete catalogue descriptions, upload them to The National Archives' Discovery, weed out personal data, institute a basic location system, and update retention schedules. Archive images were provided for Summit staff, and planning began for the 90th anniversary of BBC television at the Palace, involving partners such as the BBC, BFI, and NSMM. Tours of the BBC wing were provided for AIFS and media students, as well as for the company of Sunny Afternoon. History students from UCL visited as part of their Civil Internment project. Alexandra Palace contributed to the centenary celebrations of John Logie Baird's first public demonstration of television.

Inspire and Engage Communities: The Creative Learning team developed partnerships and delivered youth and arts programmes. Exhibitions, youth events, book festivals, theatre productions, school visits, and volunteer activities continued. The Talent Development Programme provided free creative space, and volunteers supported gardening, reading initiatives, and archive organisation. Members of the Young Creative Network were progressing through an artistic development programme focusing on music-video production and brand identity. Café Palais relaunched with monthly creative and social activities for older residents. AP Sounds was set to return with a focus on engaging older residents in radio broadcasting. Palace Uncovered continued to support secondary school pupils studying history or performing arts. Regular volunteering opportunities remained active, and volunteers led public tours. Baroness Louise Casey visited Alexandra Palace to attend a partner event with the Alzheimer's Society.

Strengthen Our Overall Resilience: The Trust promoted individual giving opportunities and launched its regular donors' programme, Ally Pally Supporters. Founding Ally Pally Patrons enjoyed a founders' talk and were the first customers to experience the Summit rooftop walk. Alexandra Palace and Wood Green were announced as a Neighbourhood for the 2026 edition of the London Festival of Architecture. IT resilience improvements continued, including network planning and cloud migration. Cyber security improvements remained a priority, with the organisation working towards Cyber Essentials accreditation.

Restore Derelict Spaces: The Boating Lake Café project completed the installation of new branded awnings. A Main Contractor was formally instructed for the delivery of the new Panorama Room, with a modern, replacement semi-permanent structure proposed to maximise the footprint and include a second storey. Planning and Listed Building Consent applications were to be submitted shortly. The Security Room reconfiguration progressed to tender stage. Development work continued on the Creative Campus project, with designs, budgets, and activity planning nearing completion, and an Expression of Interest planned for submission to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Establish New, Exciting Partnerships: Strategic conversations continued with heritage organisations such as the National Trust and Historic England to embed learning within the repair of the Palace, aiming to create opportunities for apprenticeships and workshops in heritage trades.

Create A Great Place to Work: The People Strategy implementation plan continued, focusing on attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining employees. The 2025 survey results showed improved engagement levels, and the organisation was accredited as Ones to Watch and listed in the top 100 employers and top 20 companies in Leisure and Hospitality.

Draft Alexandra Park and Palace Strategic Plan 2025-2035

The meeting was also scheduled to discuss the draft Strategic Plan 2025–2035 for Alexandra Park and Palace. This plan aims to provide a long-term framework for maintaining and enhancing the Park and Palace, improving community and visitor experience, securing heritage assets, and building long-term financial and environmental sustainability. The plan is grounded in the Trust's Vision: To create a sustainable home for inspirational culture, world-class entertainment, unique heritage, life enriching creative and educational opportunities, and restorative green space – for everyone, forever.

The plan has been informed by the Conservation Management Plan (2025), Visitor Market Research (2025), the Creative Learning Plan (2025) and Impact Study (2025), consultations with Haringey Council and local stakeholders, and ongoing feedback from park users, residents, and audiences.

Visitor and community research identified key values, including appreciation for the Park's scenic outdoor spaces, nature, and views; Alexandra Palace's history, architecture, and iconic status; the diversity of events; and the sense of community. Areas identified for improvement included the condition of some Palace areas, accessibility, wayfinding, signage, food and drink facilities, and physical accessibility across the site. Local community priorities included reopening underused buildings for community benefit, greater visibility of the Trust's charitable status, and continued delivery of community projects.

The Strategic Plan proposes a ten-year programme across six strategic objectives:

• Upgrading Infrastructure and Core Facilities: This includes upgrading the Panorama Room and Event Kitchen, reopening the Theatre Courtyard, improving toilet provision, installing 5G connectivity, and undertaking essential roof and glazing repairs.
• Enhancing the Park and Family Offer: Planned improvements include a complete upgrade of the playground and skatepark, enhancements around the Boating Lake and Grove, improved landscaping, biodiversity, lighting, and accessibility, planning for a major park-wide restoration after 2030, refurbishing facilities, and reopening the Campsbourne Centre for community use.
• Creating a Creative Campus: This involves developing new Creative Learning spaces, improving the BBC Transmitter Hall as a performance and rehearsal space, expanding the Creative Learning programme, increasing residency opportunities for artists, and delivering a community activity programme inspired by the site's heritage.
• Restoring Heritage and Developing Heritage Skills: Initiatives include establishing a London centre for heritage crafts training, delivering conservation works to priority areas, and using conservation projects as hands-on training opportunities.
• Embedding Environmental Sustainability: This includes installing a sustainable urban drainage system, removing concrete bollards, installing low carbon technologies, working towards higher levels of compliance with the Green Events and Theatre Green Book standards, and continuing progress toward net-zero ambitions.
• Strengthening Strategic Partnerships: The Trust aims to deepen collaboration with Haringey Council and partner organisations to support local employment, expand outreach and community programming, contribute to London Borough of Culture 2027, and work on inclusive local economy initiatives.

The delivery of the Strategic Plan is subject to securing external funding. Key timeline expectations include major Palace works planned for 2026 and 2029–2030, phased park improvements, and creative campus works anticipated over 2029–2030. Risks and challenges include funding availability, operational disruption, heritage risks, the competitive landscape, and economic uncertainty. The successful delivery of the Plan is expected to provide significant benefits to residents and visitors, including enhanced everyday experiences, expanded opportunities, protection of heritage assets, increased biodiversity, a more dynamic cultural programme, and a strengthened local economy.

The report recommended that SAC and CC members provide feedback to be shared with the Trustee Board and to note the funding and delivery dependencies associated with the Strategic Plan, acknowledging that currently none of the projects are funded.