Jan Fuscoe: Awards triumph for East London Waterworks Park shows ‘huge public appetite’

The East London Waterworks Park team at the Reimagine London event. Photograph: ELWP

Support for plans to create free wild swimming ponds, biodiverse habitats, a forest school and a café on a brownfield site in East London is gaining ground.

The results of the prestigious Reimagine London awards, run by New London Architecture, have been revealed.

The People’s Choice prize went to (drum roll, please): East London Waterworks Park.

The visionary plans for a brand new park on a disused water plant off Lea Bridge Road were drawn up by a wide range of creatives and experts, with contributions from schoolchildren, university students and local-interest groups.

The community-led project also has the support of thousands of donors who have contributed over £500,000 (and counting) to help it become a reality.

The Reimagine London accolade has just added another £2,000 to the coffers.

There is huge public appetite for creating this space. And who can be surprised?

The plans include a natural beach. Image: ELWP

Can I express my own vested interest? I live in Hackney, and I have a tiny back garden.

Many thousands of Hackney residents don’t even have a balcony to sit on, so we all rely on the precious spaces that we have – London Fields, Victoria Park, Hackney Marshes – to get fresh air, walk on grass, and under trees .

But we need more, including clean places to swim.

Yes, we have a fabulous London Fields Lido, and Clapton Baths, but they’re not enough.

Imagine swimming, for free, in a natural rainwater pool, cleaned by the reeds wafting below.

East London Waterworks Park (ELWP) would offer that, and so much more.

It would provide one more jigsaw piece in a green path stretching from East London to Hertfordshire, increasing local biodiversity and supporting nature, as well as other unseen benefits such as:

Education

A forest school where local children would learn about the natural environment – the importance of beetles and spiders, bees, butterflies, mud and worms – safely.

ELWP envisions a forest school on the site. Image: ELWP

Environment

There are already many interested universities keen to learn about the effects of pollution, including how best to clean up brownfield sites.

This project will provide a perfect example of how to turn a brownfield site green.

Closer to home, as our local parks get muddier and unmanageable, how much longer can we ignore the serious consequences of heavier rainfall caused by climate change?

ELWP already has a plan to capture excess rainwater using the depot’s old water tanks.

Economy

ELWP’s vision includes restoring heritage buildings on the site using five circular-economy design principles: reimagine waste, celebrate nature, be curious, reuse, and design for the long term.

These principles guided the design team as they explored reusing concrete, rainwater harvesting, composting, anaerobic digestion and renewable energy.

The site currently has a layer of concrete over the old water filtration tanks.

ELWP would see a proportion of the concrete removed and repurporsed for landscaping, as aggregate for planting, for rainwater collection, and to form mounds for vistas.

The rainwater harvesting proposals at the park. Image: ELWP

Rainwater harvesting features heavily in the proposals – permeable pavements and filter drains are just a couple of the solutions included.

The park would also involve community composting and an anaerobic digester to reuse food waste from the on-site cafe and other local businesses.

The compost would be used to grow vegetables, while the gas by-product from the anaerobic digester would help fuel the site’s buildings.

Finally, a word from Abigail Woodman, chair of ELWP: “Thank you to New London Architecture and its partners for creating a place where people can come together and have a chance of turning their dreams for a better London into a reality.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award.

“The vision for East London Waterworks Park embodies our hope for the future, our hope for East London and beyond.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for us.

“We will continue to work together to turn our dream into an actual park for all the community, for people and nature, to enjoy.”

To support the campaign, sign up here, or check out ELWP on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

*Additional reporting by Amy Irvine.