A new future for angling at Lee Valley Regional Park
Fenn Wright are delighted to have been instructed to market the angling licences for a portfolio of eight different fishing venues, comprising 20 lakes and two stretches of river, within Lee Valley Regional Park.
The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is responsible for the 26 mile long, 10,000 acre park with its huge variety of award-winning green spaces, world class sports venues and ecologically vital wildlife havens.
For decades, the Lee Valley was left largely derelict, with The Lee being one of London’s working rivers and the Valley used an industrial hub, with many factories turning out explosives, furniture, chemicals, railway engines and electronics. Following the suggestion of regeneration in Sir Patrick Abercrombie’s Greater London Plan in 1944, It was 1961 when Alderman Lou Sherman, Mayor of Hackney, took up the challenge to regenerate the Valley. He inspired and persuaded 17 other local authorities to support him and in 1963, the Civic Trust undertook an appraisal of the Valley as a vast leisure and recreational resource. The Park was originally created by a unique Act of Parliament in 1966, as a “green lung” for London, Essex and Hertfordshire.
Over the last half a century, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority has, with partners, transformed the industrial sites and gravel pits into a glorious venue which attracts over 8m visitors a year. In addition to angling, the park has three London 2012 legacy venues, several other hugely popular centres for sport and leisure venues, heritage sites, marinas, gardens, riverside trails, relaxing green spaces, campsites, nature reserves and internationally important wildlife habitats.
After carrying out a review of the eight angling sites, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority decided that anglers will have more opportunities if these join the other 13 angling venues which are run by licensees, angling clubs, societies and consortia. The portfolio comprises 12 former gravel pits totalling 361 acres and two stretches of river providing 2.6km fishing rights.