Speaking at Croydon Town Hall shortly after receiving the green light, Parish told Palace TV:
“[I’m] overjoyed. Obviously we’re not where we wanted to be but we have built an Academy in the meantime. It’s brilliant we got the support from Croydon Council, unanimous support as well, which is fantastic.
“Everybody [was] extolling the virtues of the club and all of the good work it does in the community and the benefits of having a new stand, and what that will mean to the local area, particularly in the PR of the local area around the world.
“It’s fantastic, it’s brilliant for the club. Now, as with the Academy, the hard work really starts. We’ve got an agreement in principle on the land which is very important. We’re much further forward than we were before.”
Elaborating on what the next steps are, Parish said: “We’re in the process of getting all the construction drawings done, getting the construction companies on board – which one we’re going to choose.
“And then residents at Wooderson Close... we need to make sure they’re rehoused, rebuild the housing stock. We’ve got to find a place to build six houses in Croydon, so there’s a lot of work that’s ongoing in the background, but we are full steam ahead doing it.”
Palace successfully received approval on their application four years ago, but with a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the club submitted a revised application this year.
