Community directory

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority was established in 1967, with a remit to regenerate, develop and manage a designated area of the Lee Valley (10,000 acres stretching from the East India Dock basin on the Thames up the Valley to Ware in Hertfordshire) to provide leisure and recreation, both formal and informal, for the residents of Hertfordshire, Essex and Greater London.

The Regional Park contains 8 sites of special scientific interest (SSSI). It is made up of farmland, nature reserves, green open spaces and waterways, with centres for leisure, sport, heritage and entertainment. This includes Waltham Abbey, Three Mills, Rye House Gatehouse, Broxbourne Old Mill and Meadows, Myddelton House Gardens and Walthamstow Marshes.

The Regional Park is made up of two main elements - purpose-built, sports and recreation centres, including: horse riding, cycling, ice skating, golf, boating and swimming, and countryside activities including: angling, walking and general outdoor pursuits like birdwatching. You can also go walking, cycling and running in the Regional Park and many organised events run throughout the year catering for all tastes, ages and abilities.

The Regional Park is also a haven for wildlife and those interested in it, with a number of nature reserves and country parks with bird hides and viewing points.

There are heritage sites at Rye House Gatehouse in Hertfordshire, Waltham Abbey in Essex and Three Mills Island at Bromley-by Bow in East London and Middlesex Filter Beds in Leyton.