AF01 Lee Valley and Finchley Ridge.pdf - Greater London Authority

Area Strategy – Strategic Context
Strategic Context
The Lea Valley represents a rupture in London’s
urban grain - a corridor of relatively undeveloped
land forming a ‘clearing’ between dense urban
communities lying to the east and west, with much of
this land protected as open space or industrial land.
The presence of large-scale transport infrastructure,
particularly running north-south along the Valley,
has reinforced the resulting sense of division -
discouraging communities on either side of the Valley
from using or traversing its landscapes.
The Valley is still very much industrial - with large
areas of protected Strategic Industrial Land, and
clusters of high technology businesses replacing
more traditional industry. But the re-shaping of its
industrial landscape, and the value of its proximity
to central London, have begun to encourage major
transformation in recent years. Both the Lower Lea
Valley and Upper Lea Valley have been identified
by the Mayor as Opportunity Areas, and are sites
for major regeneration projects. The siting of the
Olympic Park, between Hackney Wick and Stratford,
has provided state of the art sports facilities, a major
new park, and 2,800 new homes - and has also been
a major catalyst for wider change within the Valley.
In the Upper Lea Valley, future regeneration projects
include the sustainable transformation of 70ha of
industrial land at Meridian Water.
The Finchley Ridge is primarily a suburban landscape
- with interwar housing surrounding a series of
small-scale, mainly Victorian town centres; Enfield,
Southgate, Palmers Green, Wood Green, High Barnet,
East Barnet, and Muswell Hill. Much of this area is
afforded good connections to the city by virtue of the
rail network and the underground (Piccadilly line).
In contrast to the flux of the Lea Valley, this is a much
more stable urban landscape, with fewer large-scale
regeneration prospects. The presence of the Green
Belt to the north - an area which represents 38% of the
area of Enfield - is an important parameter. This open
space, which includes Trent Country Park, is linked via
the London Loop to the Lea Valley and Epping Forest,
and to the north-south Lea Valley Walk.
Map derived from GiGL data 2011 - © Crown Copyright and database right 2011. Ordnance Survey 100032216.
Metropolitan Open Land
Green Belt
Town Centres
Strategic Housing Land Availability
Strategic Industrial Land
Borough walking, cycling, bridleway
Borough green space connections
Borough tree lined streets
Landmarks, prospects, views
Mineral / Waste Sites
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