Canoeing
River Lea to provide link to Olympic Park for canoeing
A NEW £8.5 million canoe slalom course will be built at Broxbourne, using the waters of the River Lea to provide a physical link to the Olympic Park in the Lower Lea Valley.
Broxbourne sits on the edge of the 1,000-acre Lea Valley Country Park in Hertfordshire, just outside of the M25, and directly linked to the proposed Olympic Park by the water of the River Lea. It is located 17.1 miles (27.5 kilometres) North North-East of Charing Cross in London.
The 207-acre canoe slalom course will have facilities for 12,000 spectators to enjoy the spectacular white-water racing.
The Lea Valley Park lies to the East of Broxbourne Station between the River Lea and the railway line. Its redevelopment will include the creation of new landscaped nature reserves and the construction of a canoe course, as well as a number of buildings with roads and parking. The site is in an area of historic gravel pits.
An investigation in early 20th century of the Lea Valley Arctic Beds discovered within the gravels, and of Mesolithic flint scatters in the overlying alluvium that are today considered to be of national importance. The Arctic Beds contain the remains of the animals (mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer and lemming) and plants (arctic willow and mosses) that existed in the valley around 20,000 years ago, close to the height of the last Ice Age.
The Mesolithic flints comprised several hundred flakes and cores found in two small areas at the interface of a sandy soil and the overlying peat.
After the Olympics the slalom course will become a centre for elite and grass-roots training and competition, as well as becoming a major leisure attraction for white water rafting.
The venue is easily accessible from Broxbourne Station, which is served by direct train services to Liverpool Street and the Olympic Park in Stratford. Close proximity to the M25 and the A10 provides excellent road access.
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