One of Britain’s foremost architects has been appointed to draw up a plan to restore the much-loved but semi-derelict Alexandra Palace in North London.
Sir Terry Farrell, who designed the MI6 building in Vauxhall, will tackle the “curse of Ally Pally”: the 140-year old building has suffered two fires, missed successive development cycles and continues to operate at a loss.
The Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust said yesterday that Terry Farrell and Partners, working with WSP Group, would create “imaginative and practical design concepts for this historic place”.
Duncan Wilson, the chief executive, said that the trustees of the Grade II-listed building were “determined” to build a more financially sustainable model. Alexandra Palace was built in 1873 and “given” to the people in perpetuity in 1900 by Act of Parliament.
It was the site of Britain’s first public TV broadcasts in 1936 and the venue has been entertaining people ever since.
Advertisement
However, the fires that have destroyed parts of the palace and the high costs of restoration have meant that only half of the palace is now open to the public.
Mr Wilson said that the palace still had an underlying yearly deficit of £1.5 million and that a new regeneration proposal was essential to preserve it.