East London group hopes to raise enough money to turn concrete wasteland by River Lea into a ‘brownfield rainforest’

A concrete-covered, brownfield industrial storage site does not scream out wild swimming haven. But a community group is hoping to transform the east London plot – currently used by Thames Water – into what is believed to be the capital’s first new wild swimming ponds since Hampstead Ponds were created in 1777.

Under the proposed plans, residents want to buy the government-owned 5.68-hectare site on the polluted River Lea in Waltham Forest and turn it into a “brownfield rainforest”, featuring two free-to-use pools, community spaces, an anaerobic digester, a cafe and a make-and-repair hub.

Continue reading…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Tier 2 Covid restrictions ‘worst of both worlds’, says trade body

Businesses say trade will be damaged but the support tier 3 area…

Salford residents each face £100,000 bill for post-Grenfell fire safety costs

Leaseholders fear they won’t qualify for grants that were meant to protect…

Up to 100 UK children a week hospitalised with rare post-Covid disease

Exclusive: 75% of children worst affected by paediatric inflammatory multi-system syndrome are…

After Covid, will digital learning be the new normal?

Schools have embraced apps and remote classes in the past year. Some…