Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre

Where is it?

The Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre will be on the edge of the 1000-acre Lee Valley Regional Park in Hertfordshire, 30km north of the Olympic Village. It is directly linked to the Olympic Park by the River Lea.

The venue will have excellent public transport links.

Getting ready

The Canoe/Kayak Slalom courses will be created, including a permanent 300m competition course and a 100m warm-up course.

The courses will be located within a wider parkland setting and will be entirely artificial with a new water body constructed and the white water created through a system of pumps.

The originally-proposed site for the facility was found to be contaminated, so a site six miles away was investigated as an alternative. Design work was transferred to the alternative site and developed. A planning application was then submitted in May 2008.

The majority of design work is well underway and construction is due to start in Spring 2009, with the venue completed in time for test events in 2011 and pre-Games training.

During the Games

Up to 12,000 spectators will be able to enjoy the Canoe/Kayak Slalom races.

After the Games

Both courses will remain, leaving behind a world-class Whitewater Canoe Centre at Broxbourne for elite athletes and beginner/intermediate level Canoeists alike. It will also be a major leisure attraction for Whitewater Rafting, managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.

The administration building will also remain but the temporary seats will be removed.