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

Foreword
It is now over five years since the completion
of the first Green Grid Area Framework for the
Lea Valley. This review and expansion of the
framework provides a valuable opportunity to
reflect on what we have collectively achieved in
that short time, and to reassess our aspirations
for the future.
The Olympic Park is rapidly approaching
completion and has resulted in a fundamental
transformation of a large part of the valley, with
a magnificent new parkland lying at its heart.
Further south, the first phases of the Lea River
Park is complete or in progress, while to the
north, a range of enhancements to existing open
spaces and route networks have been delivered.
Alongside these major projects, many smaller
scale improvements have contributed towards
the ongoing enhancement of the open space
network of the valleys
While we have achieved much, it is also important
to recognise that not all projects have seen
similar progress. Those less advanced projects
highlight the significant challenges we are all
faced with: limitations in funding and other
resources, and in many cases the sheer difficulty
of resolving physical and operational issues.
It is encouraging to see that the response to these
challenging projects is not to simply abandon
them, but to find new ways of collectively working
to deliver them. The Walthamstow Wetlands
partnership is an exemple of this approach, with
organisations coming together from all sectors
to deliver a host of projects that will contribute,
in time, towards a fantastic new open space
resource and visitor destination.
The expansion of the Lea Valley area to the
west as part of the All London Green Grid has
provided a more complete picture of the strategic
opportunities. The opening up and enhancement
of the five ‘new’ open space corridors identified in
the expanded area framework will be a major step
towards the realisation of the Green Grid vision for
London.
The area expansion has also highlighted some of
the challenges we face in maintaining productive
Shaun Dawson
Chief Executive,
Lea Valley Regional Park Authority
partnerships across such a large geographical
area, particularly at a time when all organisations
are dealing with increasing pressures and
reducing resources. Our approach to future
governance of the expanding Green Grid initiative
will continue to evolve to ensure all stakeholders
are able to play an active, meaningful part.
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