Crystal Palace Park cafe is officially opening next week after months of hard work.

On June 17 the new community-focused café is being formally opened by Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills Jules Pipe CBE.

The café, designed by award-winning practice Chris Dyson Architects, opened at the end of April and has proved to be exceptionally popular.

The ground floor hosts the main café space, with the upstairs room available for private hire and community use.

Advance commercial bookings for the upstairs space are being limited to a maximum of 50 per cent of the room hire each year, ensuring that community, voluntary and charitable activity is at the heart of café life.

The café operator is Brown & Green, an experienced local business who is already an integral part of the Crystal Palace community.

Deputy Mayor for Planning, Jules Pipe, said: “I am really pleased to see this new café and community space open. This marks the final phase of the programme of immediate improvement work in the park by the London Borough of Bromley, to which the Mayor contributed £2 million – the biggest investment by the Mayor in a borough-run park in a decade. I’m sure this will become a popular attraction for locals and visitors.”

Councillor Peter Morgan, Executive Member for Renewal, Recreation and Housing said: “The Council continues to pursue the delivery of the park’s Regeneration Plan and expects to submit the Outline Planning Application by the end of the year. Meanwhile I am sure that local residents and visitors to the park alike will enjoy the exceptional new park café.”

Designed by Chris Dyson Architects the building sits quietly in the landscape. The upstairs space creates a new accessible connection between the park’s central axis and the dinosaur islands.

Chris Dyson Architects said: “Our concept for the new Crystal Palace café was to clad the structure in cedar shingles, referencing the scaled skin of the Grade I listed dinosaur sculptures at the opposite end of the lake. The café has four active façades, with generous glazing providing expansive views of the dinosaur sculptures and panoramic views out over the park.”

The café build has been funded by a grant from the Mayor of London and Bromley Council.

The new café was part of a park-wide improvement scheme which is now complete. This improvement scheme consisted of a community grant programme, capital works to improve access points, conservation of the most endangered Grade I listed dinosaurs, restoration of the historic Sphinxes and South Terrace steps, and the building of a new skatepark.