City spaces allowing residents to relax and cool down – especially on hot summer days – are becoming ever more precious as cities get bigger and climate change increases pressure. With that in mind, the East London Water Works charity is aiming to develop an entirely free wild swimming spot in East London.
In London, outdoor swimming spaces are scarce. While the historic lidos offer some respite, they don’t come cheap and are therefore not a great fit for everyone. However, that’s to East London Water Works, things might be about to change. The charity is trying to turn the 5.68-hectare ex-Thames Water depot on Lea Bridge Road in Waltham Forest into an inclusive community project, centred around water, community, and biodiversity.
The project put forward by the charity includes building a 3,000 square metre naturally filtered swimming space on-site, as well as a beach that could accommodate some 100 people. One area would be family-oriented, one would focus on being an immersive wild swimming concept, and both would be using rainwater filtered by 5,300 square metres of reed beds. All in all, some 1,200 swimmers would be able to use the spot every day.
“My first thought was that I’d love something like this to exist for my kids growing up and to have that locally for them. There are no free accessible swimming spaces, so providing that is what the community wants to experience. These kinds of projects let communities take back agency”, Nathan Miller, a director of East London Water Works, told MyLondon.
While London isn’t usually known to be particularly affordable, making the area free for all is one of the main pillars of the project. According to Miller, the funds needed to run the natural swimming pool would be raised by creating electricity on-site, part of which could then be sold to the grid.
Community stands central
Aside from being a wild swimming location, the site would also be catering towards other community needs. Meadows could be used to relax surrounded by nature, a cafe would provide food and drinks on-site, a forest school would provide educational needs, and a science lab could be studying the surroundings.
As part of their research, East London Water Works has organised the so-called The Listening Project, in which over 100 participants from historically under-represented groups in the area were interviewed to establish what they were expecting from the project. Safety and inclusion were some of their most important requirements.
“We believe the park will unlock a chain of positive changes that culminate in the long-term transformation of people and place. The site is Metropolitan Open Land and, as such, its only credible future is one involving minimal development and open public access for all, reconnecting the marshes and nature reserves of the Lower Lea Valley”, Abigail Woodman, director and chair of East London Waterworks Park, told Metro.
At the moment, East London Water Works is waiting on approval from the Hackney Council before the project can continue to take shape.
