Park Development Framework Vision, Aims and Principles July 2010
Contents Vision, Aims and Principles 01 Foreword 02 The Park 03 The Park Authority 04 The Park Development Framework 06 Our Vision for the future 08 Aim 1.0 Visitors 09 Aim 2.0 Sport and Recreation 10 Aim 3.0 Biodiversity 11 Aim 4.0 Community 12 Aim 5.0 Landscape and heritage 13 Aim 6.0 Environment 15 Guiding Principles 15 Delivering the Park through partnership 15 Regional Value 17 Multi function 17 Flexibility 19 Environmental Sustainability 19 Engagement 20 Further Information 20 Acknowledgements
Park Development Framework Foreword Lee Valley Regional Park is known and recognised as one of the nation s great parks; a place that offers a unique combination of activities, sights and experiences. For over 40 years the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority has been working alongside many partner organisations to transform the post-industrial land along the River Lee into a place for leisure, recreation, sport and nature. The Park is now a mosaic of award-winning open spaces, heritage sites, country parks, farms, golf courses, lakes and riverside trails, campsites, marinas, angling and boating locations. All of these attract more than 4 million visitors a year. In addition, the Park will include a number of new facilities delivered as part of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. These facilities include the Lee Valley White Water Centre near Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, the Lee Valley Velodrome and VeloPark, and the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centres, all within the Olympic Park at Stratford. Our Park Development Framework is a suite of documents that will collectively provide the blueprint for our future efforts: setting out what we want to achieve, how we plan to balance competing demands, and how we intend to make best use of the limited resources available. We hope it will provide inspiration and focus for the future collective efforts of landowners within the Park, our partners, stakeholders and everyone with an interest in the Lee Valley and Lee Valley Regional Park. Derrick Ashley Chairman Shaun Dawson Chief Executive www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework 1
The Park Hertford Ware The Lee Valley Regional Park was created on the 1st January 1967, through an Act of Parliament: the Lee Valley Regional Park Act 1966. The creators of the Regional Park wanted to provide a destination for the growing populations of London, Essex Broxbourne Hoddesdon Nazeing Roydon and Hertfordshire to enjoy recreation and leisure activities unavailable elsewhere. The corridor alongside the River Lee was at that time a mix of derelict and operational industrial land, undeveloped marshlands, water supply reservoirs, farmland, glasshouses and municipal parks. The new Regional Park was to transform these areas to create a continuous corridor of open space and built leisure and sports facilities that would provide a wide range of recreation and leisure opportunities. The purpose of the Park is clearly defi ned in the Park Act, as: a place for the occupation of leisure, recreation, sport, Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of the controller of Her Majestys Stationery Offi ce. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Crown Copyright Reserved Licence Number: LA 08911L Cheshunt Enfield Edmonton Hackney Walthamstow Poplar Chingford Waltham Abbey Stratford Canning Town games or amusements or any similar activity, for the provision of nature reserves and for the provision and enjoyment of entertainments of any kind. Section 12(1) Lee Valley Regional Park Act 1966 Much has been achieved since the Park was created. The Park now includes 10,000 acres (over 4,000ha) and winds its way 26 miles: along the banks of the River Lee from Ware in Hertfordshire, down through Essex, North London, and past Olympic Park to East India Dock Basin on the River Thames. The Park is a fantastic mix of sport and leisure venues, heritage sites, gardens, nature reserves and riverside trails; offering an endless range of things to do. It is easy to reach by bike, car, train, or on foot, and visitors can spend anything from a few hours to a few days enjoying and exploring. The Park is also one of the homes of the most exciting events in the world the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Games will not only provide a great sporting spectacle, but will deliver a lasting benefi t for the Park; four world-class sports venues are to be located within the Park boundary, with the remaining Olympic venues and parklands situated alongside. 2 www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework
The Park Authority The Park Act, which established the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, placed a duty on the Authority to develop, improve, preserve and manage the Park, either directly or through others. We work towards delivering this duty in three key ways: As owner and manager of land and facilities within the Park complementary facilities, attractions and activities, and to assist each other where appropriate with shared resources, advice and expertise. As a statutory planning consultee The Act confers on the Authority the role of a statutory planning consultee. This means that we must be consulted on We own and manage approximately 3,800 acres (1,500ha) of the total Park area. It is our duty to use our available resources to develop and manage that estate. We know we will need to work closely with a range of partners, and seek additional any planning applications within, or which impact on, the Park. We will use this role to continue to champion the Park and to do everything we can to ensure that local planning authorities give appropriate regard to our aims and purposes. resources and expertise in order to deliver the features, facilities and activities that contribute to our vision and aims for the Park. We will: Oppose in principle any planning applications relating to land within the Park that include land uses which are not As a champion, leader, facilitator and coordinator of other landowners within the Park The remaining 6,200 acres (2,500ha) of the Park is owned and managed by others. The success of our Park vision is hugely dependant on other landowners and managers working together towards a shared aspiration. A vital part of our future work is working compliant with the purpose of the Park (as set out in Section 12 of the Park Act). Seek to ensure that all planning approvals relating to land within the Park will lead to a positive contribution to our vision, aims and objectives. Seek to ensure that all planning approvals relating to land outside the Park boundaries will have alongside the land owners to achieve our vision for the Park; to work collectively towards Park-wide coordinated and I went on a guided walk and really enjoyed it. Very informative and interesting. no negative impact on the Park, and where possible lead to a positive contribution to our vision, aims and objectives. It was my fi rst guided walk in the Lee Valley Regional Park and I can t wait to go on my next one. Bow Creek Ecology Park www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework 3
The Park Development Framework The Park Development Framework sets out the Park Authority s aspirations for future development and management of the Park. There are a number of core documents that make up the Park Development Framework: Vision, Aims and Principles - this document Objectives and proposals, which will be produced in two complementary documents. These focus on: - Thematic proposals, setting out our proposals throughout the Park for each of our six aims - Visitors, Sport and Recreation, Biodiversity, Community, Landscape and Heritage, Environment. - Area specifi c plans, setting out our proposals for the Park on a more detailed location basis. There is also a range of other documents that provide additional information to support the core documents identifi ed above. For more information please refer to the Park Development Scheme www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework The Park Development Framework refl ects our aspirations for the whole Park and includes large areas of land over which we have no direct control. The framework documents therefore provide two functions: the strategic framework for our ongoing activities and guidance for others involved in the development and management of land within the Park. We warmly welcome the way in which the vision for the Park has developed during its consultation with stakeholders over the last three years. PDF Consultation The Authority is not a planning authority but it has a range of powers and duties in relation to the statutory planning process. Section 14(1) of the Park Act requires the Authority to prepare a plan setting out proposals for the future management and development of the Regional Park. Riparian planning authorities are under a mandatory obligation to include those parts of the plan affecting their areas within their own relevant planning strategies and policies. The completed Park Development Framework will meet the requirements of Section 14 of the Park Act. 4 www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework
Policy Context The range of information that informed the content of the Park Development Framework European and national law and regulation National policy and guidance Lee Valley Regional Park Act 1966 Regional policy and guidance Local planning policy The Policy Context, the Park Authority s and our stakeholders ideas inform the content of the Park Development Framework Park Development Framework A suite of documents that collectively describe the Park Authority s aspirations for the future development and management of the Park Park Development Framework Core documents Supporting documents Vision, Aims and Principles Park Development Scheme Sustainability Appraisal Objectives and Proposals Statement of Community Involvement Habitats Regulations Screening Thematic Proposals Area Proposals Policy and Strategy Documents Baseline Report The Park Development Framework guides the activities of the Park Authority and other stakeholders Lee Valley Regional Park Authority activities Setting out how we will work towards delivering the Park Development Framework Activities of others How the Park Development Framework will influence the activities of others around the Park Business Strategy Local Authority Planning Policy Business Plan Partnership Projects Annual Service Plan Facility Business Plan Site Management Plans Other owners development & management The Park Development Framework will be reviewed regularly, informed by the achievements of the Park Authority and other stakeholders Documents formally adopted by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework 5
We thoroughly enjoy visiting the Park. There is so much to see and appreciate and we wanted to say thank you for looking after it so well and for providing so much enjoyment. River Lee Country Park
Our vision for the future: Lee Valley Regional Park A world class leisure destination The purpose of the Park as a place for leisure, recreation, sport and nature remains fi rmly at the heart of our future aspirations. However, our ambition has grown; we want the Park to become a truly world-class destination and an exemplar of the many benefi ts that large-scale parklands can deliver. We are already committed to developing and operating world-class sports facilities as a legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This will see the Park develop further as a centre of sporting excellence. We recognise the importance of developing the visitor facilities within the Park and of balancing the Park s biodiversity offer with a range of other leisure and recreation activities. We also believe the Park offers a vital resource for social and community wellbeing and for the development of sustainable communities as a whole. Within our remit there is a role the Park can play in helping everyone live in a more sustainable way; to adapt to, and mitigate future climate change, and to manage the impact of past land uses.
A big thank you to your team for such a fabulous job of the path. It is a real pleasure to cycle through the Park. River Lee Country Park Visitors A Park that is a high quality and regionally unique visitor destination We want the Park to be a great destination. A special place to visit, somewhere people choose to come again and again because it provides experiences they cannot find anywhere else. We believe that to be a great destination, the Park needs more than just great activities, sights and experiences: it needs to be well known and recognised, easy and enjoyable to get to and move around, and accessible to people of all abilities.
Sport and Recreation A Park that delivers a range of high quality opportunities for sport and recreation We had a wonderful time. The staff were welcoming and very helpful, and the facilities were excellent. We were delighted and everyone had a great party. The Park has been conceived and developed over the past 40 years to be a place for leisure, recreation and sport. These activities continue to be at the heart of what the Park is about. We want to ensure the Park is a place that offers exciting and varied experiences that attract and are used by as many people as possible - while at the same time ensuring that what is offered is of the highest quality. Lee Valley Athletics Centre
Both the staff and the activities were outstanding and I thank you sincerely for a magical experience for the children. The WaterWorks Nature Reserve Biodiversity A Park that delivers a high quality biodiversity resource for the region The Park is a valuable biodiversity resource. Large areas of the Park are internationally designated and protected for their nature conservation value, while other sites within the Park have similar recognition and protection at a national, regional and local level. We want to continue to develop and manage the Park to be an even richer place for wildlife a place where plants and animals can thrive and where people can experience and enjoy the natural environment.
Community A Park that helps people improve their wellbeing We want a Park which is fi rst and foremost a place for people a place where anyone and everyone is encouraged to visit and get active, creative, involved, meet others, learn new things or simply enjoy themselves. It is a place to develop happier and healthier individuals and in turn happier and healthier communities. We believe the Park is a fantastic venue for all sorts of activities and events that will give people the reason and motivation to come and visit. Just wanted to extend my thanks on behalf of all the children. The event was an incredible success. River Lee Country Park
Loved my time there, can t wait to visit again. Three Mills Landscape and Heritage A Park landscape that embraces the physical, cultural and social heritage of the area We want the Park to be a great landscape: a place that looks, sounds, smells and feels amazing. We want a Park landscape that refl ects its river valley character, yet retains the distinctive personality of each local area. It should tell the unique story of the Lee Valley and communicate its rich and historic diversity.
Lee Valley Park farms An excellent visit with lots to see, especially at Holyfi eld farm harvesting maize also great to see the cows being milked. Thank you so much. Lee Valley Park farms Environment A Park that contributes to the environmental sustainability of the region The Park is home to many different activities that support modern urban life: drinking water supply, disposal of waste, production of food and energy, sand and gravel extraction, fl ood water storage, electricity pylons, waterways, roads and railways. We want a Park that can provide and accommodate these important functions, while allowing people to use and enjoy the facilities on offer, supporting wildlife, and contributing to a sustainable future for all. We also believe the Park will play an increasingly important role in helping to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Instructors at the centre are dedicated which has helped me achieve my goal of becoming a dressage rider. Lee Valley Riding Centre
Guiding Principles There are a number of overarching principles that will guide our approach to the future development and management of the Park. Delivering the Park through partnership Our vision for the Park can only be developed through the collective efforts of a wide range of partners. Our partners are many and varied and include national public bodies, sports governing bodies, national, regional and local government, commercial and private sector partners, community and interest groups, other voluntary sector organisations, as well as individuals within the community. Our partners bring a mix of resources, expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm. They help deliver different aspects of the many component parts that make up the Park as a whole. Importantly, we want to ensure that all our partners are working towards a shared vision for the Park. time are to be spent. Deciding what to do, where and when, requires a consistent way of evaluating competing options. We have therefore placed the idea of Regional Value at the heart of our decision making process. In simple terms, Regional Value is an assessment of the range of benefi ts that any particular facility or activity in the Park delivers to the people of Essex, Hertfordshire and London (the region that funds most of our activities). Assessing Regional Value is not a precise science or mathematical formula and it is not always easy. There is often a wide range of benefi ts delivered by the Park, many of them related directly to people who use our resources (e.g. the personal and community health benefi ts delivered through Lee Valley Athletics Centre school sports programmes), or that are less obvious or tangible (e.g. Olympic medal winning athletes who train at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre). On our estate, our aim is to intelligently combine our resources with those of our partners, and collectively deliver much more than our modest resources alone would allow. In areas of the Park owned by others we will seek to build active partnerships with landowners; encouraging and assisting them wherever possible to ensure that their management and development decisions are making a positive contribution to the Park as a whole. Regional Value There will always be competing demands on the resources of the Park; a particular site might be used for a range of things and priorities need to be identifi ed for where money and Importantly, we do not use Regional Value as a hard and fast way of deciding what to do; we do not try to quantify value or do whatever scores the highest. The idea of Regional Value simply provides us with a tool to help assess and understand the relative value of competing demands. The Park is not only for regional visitors, but is an important resource for local communities. We welcome and encourage use by everyone and all facilities and activities will cater for local communities as a component part of the Regional Value they are offering. We also accept that other landowners in the Park may want to provide features and facilities that meet more specific local www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework 15
Many thanks for letting us use the ice rink. We had a fantastic time. Please pass on our thanks to all your staff who helped us on the day they were very accommodating. Lee Valley Ice Centre
community needs (e.g. local sports clubs or playgrounds). We will work with those landowners to try to ensure that their facilities are developed and managed so that they are accessible to as many people as possible and contribute positively to the wider Regional Value of the Park. Multi function There are a significant number of things that people believe the Park could or should provide and there are often competing (and at times conflicting) demands for the finite land, financial and time resources available. Perhaps the greatest challenge for the future development and management of the Park is how to balance these demands and create a destination that delivers the most benefits to the largest number of people. The idea of shared use is an important aspect of multifunction; path networks may need to be shared by pedestrians and cyclists, water bodies may need to be shared by fi shermen and sailors, open spaces may need to be shared by birdwatchers and walkers. Careful design and management will be required to ensure that shared use of the Park meets the needs of all users. We do recognise that there may be occasions where competing uses simply cannot be managed together successfully (e.g. some types of active recreational uses within sensitive ecological areas). Where necessary we will allocate different areas of the Park for different types of uses, in order to resolve confl icts that cannot be otherwise managed. Our six aims refl ect the range of demands: a visitor destination, a place for sport and recreation, a biodiversity resource, a fantastic landscape, a place for activities and events, and a place that contributes to the environmental sustainability of the region. We believe the Park can only meet these demands by ensuring that all the feature and facilities in the Park are multifunctional. In other words, everything in the Park needs to provide for as many uses as possible. We believe that everything in the Park can, and should, contribute to all of our aims. For example, a sports facility building should offer facilities for general Park users (e.g. café and toilet), provide habitats for wildlife (e.g. brown roofs and bird / bat boxes), be available as a community resource (e.g. a venue for learning and events), make a positive contribution to the Park landscape (e.g. be a beautiful building), and be highly sustainable (e.g. generate its own energy). Flexibility We want to ensure that the features and facilities of the Park, as well as our approach to future development and management, remain as fl exible as possible. We recognise that situations can, and do change: demand for specifi c facilities and features rise and fall, existing priorities shift, and new development opportunities often present themselves. So we will ensure that as far as possible the features and facilities of the Park can adapt and evolve to meet such changes as they occur. Our proposals for the future development and management of the Park will be reviewed routinely and will evolve over time. Existing facilities may be developed to accommodate different activities or replaced by facilities that provide entirely new uses; demand for new and currently unforeseen activities may lead to changes in the use and management of areas of the Park. www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework 17
An excellent afternoon. The girls loved stroking and feeding the calves. Lee Valley Park Farms
Importantly, the framework provides a baseline against which new opportunities and changing priorities can be assessed. Possible future changes will be evaluated in the context of Regional Value, as well as synergies with other uses. This will enable us to assess the relative pros and cons of accommodating new ideas against the agreed direction for the future development and management of the Park. Environmental Sustainability We believe the Park has an important role to play to ensure that the environmental needs of the region can be met in perpetuity. While this role is recognised within our strategic aims, we believe the principles of sustainable management Engagement We believe engagement with a wide range of organisations, user groups and community groups is fundamental to the successful management and development of the Park. We also know from experience that maintaining effective relationships can be challenging. The sheer scale of the Park means that engagement on Park wide issues can become a huge task; and for very many people such issues are not of great interest. At a site specifi c level, we need to ensure that our engagement processes can balance the needs and desires of local communities with those of our regional visitors. and development must become guiding principles for the ongoing management and development of the Park. We will ensure that the planning, design and management of the Park is undertaken holistically; to maximise available resources and for proposals to be considered carefully to achieve their optimal sustainable potential. Climate change in particular is an overarching issue which affects many, if not all, of the Authority s activities - as well as the future use and development of the Park. An integrated approach is required by both the Authority and among the Park s partners, stakeholders and organisations. Emphasis will be as follows: Mitigation reducing the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the facilities and activities that take place within the Park. Adaptation increasing the Park s resilience to the impact of climate change. Awareness highlighting climate change mitigation, and adaptation within the Park and the wider community. Partnership - where appropriate, work together to share expertise and experience (locally, regionally, nationally and with other landowners within the Park) with regards to mitigation and adaptation. We therefore approach engagement at a number of different levels: On a Park wide level, we engage with national public bodies such as the Environment Agency and Natural England, with regional government, and with national sports governing bodies and similar national or regional interest groups. At a local level, we engage with other signifi cant landowners in the Park, with regional and local government including the Greater London Authority, London Boroughs and County and District Councils. We also work closely with area based government agencies such as the Olympic Park Legacy Company and London Thames Gateway Development Corporation and with a range of other collective user and interest groups. At a site specifi c level, we actively foster user forums across the Park, to act as a primary point of contact with local communities and help us to engage with local clubs, residents associations and other user groups. www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework 19
Further Information This document sets out our strategic vision, aims and guiding principles for the future of the Park. It is intended to provide the overarching framework for the future activities of the Park Authority and other landowners in the Park. More detailed proposals for the future development and management of the Park will be developed and refi ned following adoption of this document. The process and timetable for this work is set out in our Park Development Scheme, which is available from our website www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework Acknowledgements The process of preparing the Park Development Framework commenced in 2007. Since that time, many individuals and partner organisations have provided assistance and input into the process. We would like to acknowledge and thank everyone who has helped to date, and we hope that we can maintain continued interest and involvement from a wide range of people as we continue to develop and refi ne the Park Development Framework. 20 www.leevalleypark.org.uk/parkframework
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority Myddelton House Bulls Cross Enfi eld Middlesex EN2 9HG Tel: 08456 770 600 www.leevalleypark.org.uk