Case Studies

SEA & HRA – Lee Valley Park Development Framework

Client: Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

The Lee Valley Regional Park and the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority were created in 1967 through the Lee Valley Regional Park Act 1966. The Act requires the Park Authority to prepare plans setting out proposals for the future management and development of the Park. Between 2007 and 2011 members of our team prepared SEA and HRA assessments of the latest Park Plan, known as the Park Development Framework (PDF)…

Background

The Lee Valley Regional Park runs for 23 miles along the River Lea from the River Thames in East London to Ware in Hertfordshire.  Essentially a river corridor with a heavily modified river channel, the floodplain green space and network of reservoirs provide a wide range of opportunities for recreation and engagement with the natural world in a highly accessible urban location.

The Park Authority has a legal duty to prepare a development plan, and in so doing it sought to establish a robust development framework that could guide and inform planning decisions taken within the riparian London Boroughs.  To achieve this, the Authority commissioned our team to prepare a joint Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment of the Park Development Framework (PDF), to ensure that a sustainable combination of recreation, enhancement, regeneration & biodiversity initiatives were selected.

Approach

Our approach to the brief was characterised by the following activities:

  • Comprehensive collation of baseline data from a multitude of cross-administrative sources
  • Extensive collection of bespoke GIS maps
  • Site visits for contextual analysis of development proposals
  • Integrated development of plan options and environmental assessments
  • Extensive consultation with stakeholders and partner organisations through a series of facilitated workshops
  • Assessment of likely significant effects on overwintering bittern, gadwall and northern shoveler

Landscape ecology principles were integral to the approach to assessment since the scale and linear nature of the Park, together with its aquatic habitats and other biodiversity assets, warranted a clear understanding of strategic ecological principles and practice.

Outcome

The PDF sets out the Authority’s aspirations for future development and management in the Park, which includes part of the 2012 London Olympics site.  It presents a strategic framework for the Authority’s activities and provides guidance for partner organisations and individuals.  After several extensions to the project, work on the PDF and its accompanying assessments finally concluded with adoption of the plan in March 2011.