Where are we now?
Pedestrian and cycle
There is an excellent range of walking and cycling
routes throughout the Park.
A number of strategic routes pass through, and link
sites, within the Park - most notably the Lea Valley Walk,
the London Loop and the Capital Ring. These offer
opportunities for the long distance as well as the local
or casual walker. In addition there are a variety of other
named routes within the Park each offering a range
of walking experiences. Notably these include the Lee
Valley Pathway (an alternative north / south route to the
Lee Valley Walk), and others promoted across the ‘Get
Active in the Lee Valley Regional Park - 40 routes to
explore and discover’ campaign.
Cyclists are also well catered for. The River Lee
Country Park, in particular, is a key ‘hot spot’ for
cycling, with 6 routes of varying length, while cycle
hire facilities are available in the Park at Old Mill and
Meadows (Broxbourne), and at Stonebridge Lock
(Tottenham Marshes).
Bridleways
There is a small provision of bridle routes within the
Park. These are limited to Walthamstow Marshes (in
the vicinity of Lee Valley Riding Centre) and along the
boundary of Gunpowder Park. While there has been
work on developing comprehensive routes into the
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with the ODA, further
initiatives are required to design and develop additional
bridleways.
Waterways
The access potential of the waterways within the Park is
considerable. The River Lee Navigation links the River Stort
Navigation in the north of the Park, with the Regents’ and
Grand Union Canals in the south via the Hertford Union
Canal and the Limehouse Cut finally arriving at the River
Thames. The Lee Navigation provides a recreational and
potential commercial water route throughout the length of
the Park. The recently completed navigation enhancement
work at Three Mills Lock and the Bow Back Rivers will add
to the quality and multifunctionality of the current provision.
The Authority operates two marina sites, one at
Springfield on the lower reaches of the River Lee
(200 Berths) and the other at Stanstead Abbotts (200
berths) in the north that is situated within a mile of the
confluence of the Lee and Stort.
The Lee Valley Boat centre at Broxbourne offers boats
for hire and passenger boats for pleasure trips. These
provide a means of accessing different riverside areas
of the Park.
British Waterways (BW) is currently identifying sites
in the lower Lee Valley for the development of a water
bus service. This is planned to be operational in 2011,
in order to provide transport to the Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park. BW anticipates that sufficient demand
and consumer interest will have been generated by this
proposal, in order to ensure its success.
Vehicle
Vehicle access into the Park relies on the busy ‘A’ roads that cross the Park, as well as on local roads that track
the Park boundary (and which, in a few cases, cross
from east to west). For example, Sewardstone Road and
the Crooked Mile follow the eastern edge of the Park
south and north of the M25 respectively. These ‘edge
roads’ provide vehicle access into the Park at key points
serving existing facilities e.g. the River Lee Country Park
and Lee Valley Park Farms off the Crooked Mile, and
Gunpowder Park off Sewardstone Road.
In the north there are a number of local roads that cross
the Park (including one toll road operated by Thames
Water), and which enhance vehicle access. However
most of these edge and crossing roads also function as
local distributor roads and carry heavy commercial and
industrial traffic.
Further south, a concentrated road network provides
routes in to the Park. However all these are heavily
trafficked. Recent work for the Lea Bridge Road
Planning Framework identified a series of measures to
alter perceptions of the road; from its current restricted
north south access, to its development as a ‘Park Road’.
What do we want to achieve?
To build on the existing network of paths, cycle
ways, bridleways, and waterways to develop
a route network that provides full coverage of
the Park.
To provide a network that will link Park
entrances with key visitor facilities and
features, and provide a range of recreational
experiences for Park visitors, as well as offroad
routes for day-to-day community use.
We believe there are three key elements to this
future network:
1. Primary pedestrian and cycle route network
- We want to develop a primary pedestrian and cycle
route which will provide a core network of high quality,
all weather, shared use routes linking Park entrances,
key visitor facilities and sites of interest.
- This will include routes through the Park that will
encourage recreational use and provide an off-road
alternative for more functional day-to-day uses (e.g.
commuting, school routes, shopping etc).
- The primary route network will also integrate existing
strategic and other routes from beyond the Park
boundary (including existing ‘named’ routes), to create
a range of ‘circular’ routes through the Park.
2. Pedestrian and cycle secondary
route network
- We want to develop a secondary route network that will
provide a more diverse range of routes. This will offer a
range of surface types, gradients, and experiences in
keeping with the specific local character of the area.
- The secondary route network will be fully integrated
and accessible from the primary network.
3. Specific use route networks
- We want to develop a range of routes that meet the
needs of specific users. Many of these routes can be
shared and will form part of the primary and secondary
route network. These specific use routes include:
- Mountain bike trails – to be located in appropriate
areas of the Park. These will be designed to protect
biodiversity values and avoid conflict with other
recreational users.
- Bridleway network – to provide routes through the Park
that link with the established bridleway network outside
the Park boundary.
- Water – we want to facilitate and support use of the
navigation as a recreational, leisure and commercial
transport network.
- Vehicle routes – we want to ensure vehicle routes (non
highway) within the Park provide appropriate levels of
vehicle access to features and facilities that they serve.
Wherever possible, these routes will function as shared
surface routes forming part of the primary pedestrian/
cycle network.
- Rail – we will try to ensure accessibility issues
presented by the rail network are minimised
wherever possible.
How will we deliver?
For the Whole Park
We will
- Continue to develop further sections of the Lea Valley
Pathway, and work towards a continuous walking and
cycling route on the eastern side of the Park.
On our estate
We will
- Undertake a comprehensive route network audit and
prepare a design framework that will provide:
- An assessment of the current route network
provision and standards.
- Proposals for achieving the primary and secondary
route network, to link all appropriate modes of
transport with Park entrances, key visitor facilities
and features.
- A prioritised project action plan directing future
investment.
Working with others
We will
- Explore opportunities for overcoming existing barriers
to access and delivering a comprehensive primary
route network throughout Park.
- Continue to work with key partners such as the London
Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC)
on the delivery of the Fatwalk to provide improved
walking and cycling access through to Three Mills and
East India Dock Basin in the south of the Park.
- Work with the Olympic Park Legacy Company and
the proposed Mayoral Development Corporation in the
delivery of routes which connect the Regional Park
with the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
- Continue to work with British Waterways and other
partners to improve access and recreational use of
the canals and towpaths and their potential for water
based passenger transport.