Where are we now?
The quality of visitor facilities is key to the success of the Park as a destination.
The Regional Park’s visitor facilities will be in competition with a wide range
of facilities on offer across the whole of London, Essex and Hertfordshire.
The current quality and range of provision is however varied. A number of existing
facilities provide a comprehensive range of services for Park users. Others facilities
offer a more limited range of services, and in some cases are focused primarily
on specific activities and users e.g. sports facilities.
It is also important to take into consideration the range of other facilities and
attractions within the Park that, although not focused on providing services for
the Park visitor/user, can nonetheless be used and enjoyed as part of a visit e.g.
pubs, café, visitor attractions. There are approximately 50 pubs located either
within the Park boundary (or close to it) plus a variety of cafes, restaurants and
toilets within towns and villages close to the Park (e.g. Ware, Stanstead Abbotts,
Roydon, Broxbourne and Waltham Abbey).
Busy roads, railway lines and other infrastructure can create barriers to movement,
and routes from these centres to the Park are not always attractive, or easy to
find. Promoting the relationship between specific facilities such as a local pub
or village and the Regional Park would expand the visitor offer and provide additional
facilities and choice for the visitor. Success will be dependent on partnership
working and joint promotion.
What do we want to achieve?
- To build on the current range of visitor facilities in the Park, in order to provide
the essential comforts people want and expect when they visit.
- To provide venues and supporting facilities for the wide range of activities and
events that the Park hosts.
We believe there are four key elements to this future network:-
1. Visitor Facilities
- We want to develop a network of visitor facilities that offer a core level of service
to include: toilets, shelter, food and drink, staff presence, Park information,
indoor and outdoor seating areas, secure play areas and other place specific features
and activities.
- We want these facilities to be located within or close to sites of interest within
the Park and, where possible, to be readily accessible to public transport.
- Where possible we want these facilities to support some, or all, of the wider range
of services offered within the Park, including events, education and volunteering
(e.g. flexible meeting space, changing facilities, showers, secure storage etc).
2. Secondary Visitor Infrastructure
- Secondary infrastructure includes features and facilities such as signage, furniture,
interpretation, playable space, view points, recreational opportunities and anything
else that supports visitors’ enjoyment of the Park.
- We want to ensure that secondary visitor infrastructure is appropriately located
throughout the Park
- This could include temporary or movable structures that might form a short-term
visitor focus within the Park, possibly as part of an event, exhibition and seasonal
feature.
3. Facilities nearby the Park
- These include pubs, cafes, retail outlets and other visitor attractions that are
located near by the Park. These facilities will form an important part of the overall
visitor facility network.
- Park based information, signage, paths and entrances will help visitors get to,
and enjoy, these facilities
4. Broadening the visitor offer of specific purpose facilities
- A number of existing built facilities within the Park currently focus on specific
activities, or operate for a specific purpose. The needs of users of these facilities
are well catered for, although in many instances the facilities provide limited
services to general Park visitors.
- We want to ensure any new facilities will provide a multi functional role, offering
services for both specific uses and general Park users.
- We also want, where possible, to improve existing special purpose facilities to
better accommodate the needs of general Park users.
How will we deliver?
On our estate
- Further enhance existing visitor facilities where possible to ensure provision of
the identified core range of services, particularly at:
- Lee Valley Farms/Fishers Green (River Lee Country Park)
- Gunpowder Park
- WaterWorks Nature Reserve and Golf Centre
- Ensure proposed new visitor facilities provide the identified core range of services,
namely:
- South River Lee Country Park – White Water Canoe Centre
- Work with partners to provide new visitor facilities (as a component part of new
recreation/leisure developments) at:
- Broxbourne (former Leisure Pool site);
- Lee Valley Leisure Complex (at Picketts Lock)
- East India Dock Basin
- Undertake a long term investment programme to replace and further develop the secondary
visitor infrastructure. This will follow the comprehensive design proposals highlighted
in the Branding Strategy.
-
- Broaden the visitor offer of existing specific purpose facilities within the Park
where possible.
Working with others
- Enhance existing visitor facilities owned and operated by others to ensure they
provide as many of the identified core services for general Park users as possible.
They should also form part of a coordinated and complementary whole Park visitor
network, particularly:
- RSPB Rye Meads
- YHA Lee Valley, Cheshunt and Herts Young Mariners Base
- Royal Gunpowder Mills
- Markfield Beam Engine Museum
- Three Mills Green and House Mill
- Develop new visitor facilities to provide the full range of identified core services
for general Park users, particularly at:
- Walthamstow Reservoirs
- Hackney Marshes
- Olympic Park
- Lea River Park