Protestors are expected at a meeting to decide whether the London Development Agency’s controversial masterplan to redevelop Crystal Palace Park will be accepted by Bromley Council.

Many residents oppose part of the £100m proposals that involve bulldozing a caravan park and building 180 private luxury apartments in their place.

They say not only would such a development - intended to finance improvements to other parts of the park - blight the landscape, but would set a dangerous precedent that would threaten all other UK public parks and green open spaces.

They intend to make their feelings clear at the special meeting of the council’s Development Control Committee on December 9.

Crystal Palace Community Association Chairman John Payne said: “Parks must not be treated like our playing fields - sold off piecemeal for development.

“Parks must be valued for what they are - vital green spaces in our urban environment.”

Mr Payne said opposition to the flats was widespread, with a 7,000 signature petition from residents of the four boroughs surrounding the park objecting to the selling of public parkland for private housing.

Triangle traders chair Sue Nagal agreed the masterplan was inappropriate for the park, and said she was confident it would not be accepted by the council.

She said: “At the beginning people were willing to accept the building of flats because they could see the benefits they would get, a new sports stadium, a boating lake and a number of other improvements.

“But as the masterplan has been diluted, the benefits are not there anymore.”

An LDA spokesman said the organisation did not wish to comment on its application ahead of the result of the meeting.

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