Marsh marchers demand preservation of green lung

Caroline Day (left) with fellow Marshes campaigner Vicky Sholund at a protest against the construction of an Olympic Delivery Authority private basketball court on a nature reserve in the Lea Marshes in 2012. Photograph: Aoife Moriarty

Bird-watchers, dog-walkers, footballers and others who enjoy one of London’s most famous green lungs are converging on the Lea Marshes this weekend as part of a battle to ‘save’ the prized space from commercial encroachment.

Pressure group Save Lea Marshes has organised the rally to hit back at what it describes as the “ever-increasing threat of development and inappropriate use from the authorities who are looking to utilise the Marshes for financial gain”.

Caroline Day of Save Lea Marshes said: “The aim of the walk is to raise awareness of development plans but also to illustrate how much the community cherish their free access to the Marshes and appreciate London’s vital green lung.”

Earlier this month Hackney Council infuriated campaigners when its interim project manager for leisure and green spaces Leigh Sims lodged a planning application for a new 60-space car park on Hackney Marshes, which is part of a wider area known as the Lea Marshes that is home to an array of wildlife and has been described as a piece of tranquil English countryside on East London’s doorstep.

The Marshes have, however, been subject to new pressures in recent years as a result of the Olympics and money-making schemes.

Some of the area’s best football pitches were engulfed in tarmac by the Olympic Delivery Authority in 2011, and Hackney Council-approved Radio 1 Hackney Weekend pop gig on Hackney Marshes last year raised no cash for the upkeep of the green space and instead caused damage to cricket and football pitches and led to Hackney Council having to shoulder clean-up costs.

The rally will kick off in Leyton Marsh at 1.30pm on Sunday 1 September and will finish at the former golf course at the Waterworks Centre. The day will be family and canine friendly and there will be a competition for the best ‘Nature’ costume.