We speak exclusively to Ben Woods, the person given the task of now leading the redevelopment of the historic south London sports arena

The man who helped rebuild the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham has now got Crystal Palace in his sights. Ben Woods, part of the team that helped deliver the 2022 Commonwealth Games, was chosen by Sadiq Khan to be Project Director at the Greater London Authority (GLA) for the redevelopment of Crystal Palace, a role that he has now been in since January 2023.

He was Head of Capital Projects for Birmingham 2022 in the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) from early 2018 until the end of last year. 

Woods’ aim was to deliver the capital infrastructure programme of works on both the Alexander Stadium and Sandwell Aquatics Centre. His current project, however, is even closer to home. Woods was born near Crystal Palace and watched world class athletics in the stadium as a child.

AW sits down with the man that many hope can help bring athletics back to Crystal Palace.

What does Crystal Palace mean to you? 

I grew up around here in Upper Norwood and this was my local sports centre as a kid. I swam here, ran on the track and watched events here, so this project is as much to do with my heart as it is my head. Even today I live relatively local and bring my kids down around the park. I see such history and potential going forward. It’s the only show in town and we should all strive to see it looking good again. 

How do you reflect on its history?

The unique thing about Crystal Palace is that the centre is a multi-sport venue and it has sheer range and depth of sports. We’re focusing on athletics but we also have swimming, the indoor and outdoor sports. You don’t have that anywhere else and it’s right in the heart of London. We have to embrace its uniqueness and this is a well-renowned stadium.

I went to a few of those Grand Prix meetings dating back to the 1980s. Steve Cram was one of my heroes as a kid and then you’ve got the likes of Merlene Ottey and Michael Johnson in the 1990s up to the Jessica Ennis Hill’s. I’d love to get Dina Asher-Smith back here for example running in this stadium.

It’s always had that pathway from community to elite sport as well. Even today, we’re not working from scratch. There’s still a lot of fantastic events and a network of clubs and coaches. We have to build from that base.

How do you compare what you saw in the 1980s to what you see now? 

There’s no denying that [Crystal Palace] needs a lot of TLC and major investment. There is capital funding available and we’re not talking about the patch and repair that it’s had over the last 20-30 years, we’re talking about comprehensive refurbishment. 

This is a once in a generation chance. We need to get it right when upgrading these facilities. 

The Mayor has the aspiration to make London the most active city and the sporting capital of the world for events. The fact that the GLA own Crystal Palace means that this is a chance to practice what we preach. 

A team has been built under the GLA and I am a piece of that jigsaw. Consultants have already been brought on board. Funding is in place and now it’s about moving forward.

People have heard stories and masterplans around Crystal Palace before, so one of the things that I was very keen on was to get started on the early works. 

It’s a complex project. The listed building requires detailed planning permission and that will take a number of years with a contractor onsite. In the interim, what can we do around the stadium? We’ve got people training down here but the track is uncertified. Let’s repair it and get it certified. Let’s get the floodlighting back. That’s the visual change that we need to do in the early days. 

What’s the timeline from where we are now and what can be done regarding that visual change? 

We’ve got to set a vision for this place. The number one fundamental point is that athletics is staying at Crystal Palace, come what may. All of this has to be underpinned by a viable business plan and right now we’re in listening mode. 

I saw in the last issue of AW there was a piece on “what is the future of athletics events?” That’s the sort of question that we are asking around Crystal Palace. We’ve got the stage and now how do we use it? That’s the long-term vision.

In the short-term, can we do things that don’t inhibit what’s going on now but makes life a lot more pleasant for athletes? Yes. 

We are talking to floodlighting companies. We are trying to get planning in to make sure that floodlights are in place for this winter. We are talking to track specialists and there’s a difference from patch and repair to a class one World Athletics track. 

Are there specific dates in mind for both the short-term and long-term visions? 

We know this is at least a five-year programme to develop all facilities [stadium and centre]. This is also a live park and we don’t want to close it so it’s about phasing the facilities. 

The first part of the phasing will be the main centre. We’ve got to get that swimming pool working and making the centre work in a sustainable way. Then we’ll flip to the stadium and then the rest of the estate. 

But are we going to leave the stadium for the next three of four years before the diggers arrive? No. That’s the whole purpose of having short and long-term options. Those short-term options include track certification, floodlighting, the indoor track, the changing rooms and improving the west stand.

What’s your response to the people that need to see it to believe it? 

I absolutely get that. I don’t want a masterplan sitting on a shelf in five years time. Everything that I have worked on in my career has been built. I love the construction process which means giving back to the community.

The early works are about getting a bit of life and belief back down at Crystal Palace. I understand the cynicism but ultimately the proof will be in the pudding. Let’s chat in a year and look back at those visual works. 

How important is Crystal Palace’s USP of being able to create noise and fast times? 

The venue is dug into a hill so it’s a natural amphitheatre and the wind is reduced so both the spectators and athletes love it. It’s always been a fast track. 

Could we get safe standing into Crystal Palace? It’s always struck me when I’ve been to events here before when there has been a great pole vault and long jump completion for example and I can’t see both. That’s the nature of athletics sometimes.

So are there ways where you have a cricket approach and you can walk round the stadium towards specific events?

We don’t have a major [athletics] event down here at the moment but there is potential. What I love about this venue is that everything, from the pool and gym to courts and tracks, are so close to each other. That’s not the case in places like Birmingham, Sheffield or Glasgow. It can suck in so much talent in such a small area and that’s its biggest USP. 

When we talk about inspiring the next generation, what does that mean to you, and what Crystal Palace offers as a dedicated athletics venue in London?

If you were an alien and were dropped into any sports centre in London, Crystal Palace is the perfect one. You’ve got the intersection of five London Boroughs for here. The potential to draw people in here is immense. We’ve got excellent transport links with four lines to central London and the outreach to Kent and Sussex. It’s in the perfect spot.

The amount of athletes this area breeds and has bred, we should be celebrating that. The range of sports and athletes, what’s not to like?

How do you use your experience of working on the Commonwealth Games for Crystal Palace?

We had a fantastic team and we went with the mantra from London 2012 which was ‘design for legacy, overlay for Games’. It really was the principle for the Commonwealth Games. How does the legacy for the Alexander Stadium work for the next 20 years and beyond?

It’s not too big or small but we can also add the temporary stands again for things like the 2026 European Championships. We deliberately focused on the long-term.

What are the ambitions for the next year? 

In practical terms, I’d like to see real tangible improvements. That’s everything from clearing the weeds to getting floodlights up and the track certified. I want the longer-term vision to be consulted on, looked at with stakeholders, and for that to happen we need to have that business plan. 

Once we have that viable case and the application for planning is something that works, we go from there. Then the next year is about procurement and finding the right contractor. A year after that? Works onsite. 

It’s not just about the sport but the financial sustainability of Crystal Palace. We want to look back and think we are set here for the next 20, 30, 40 years. 

» This feature first appeared in the July issue of AW magazine, which you can read here

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