Stunning new ice centre opens today

It's been over a decade in the making and just shy of two years in construction – and today we're delighted to say that the new Lee Valley Ice Centre opened its doors to the public.

See what BBC London and ITV London made of it.

This new ￡30m centre, in the heart of Lee Valley Regional Park in Leyton, will transform the sport in the region and boost the economy by ￡1.5m a year.

It's one of only three in the country, and the first in the South East, to have two Olympic-sized rinks. It has a gym, dance studios, community spaces and café, and will be a new community hub for East London. It also features extensive environmental, landscaping and biodiversity improvements adding to the award winning open spaces in the Lee Valley Regional Park.

It is the culmination of a ￡30 million investment by venue owner Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, with support from the London Borough of Waltham Forest, to create a world leading ice venue on the site of the old Lee Valley Ice Centre.

Shaun Dawson, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority Chief Executive said,

“It has taken strong political leadership from our Board and a supreme team effort to deliver this high quality, complex venue within budget and in under two years.

“The stunning new Lee Valley Ice Centre replaces our much loved old venue which had, for 37 years, provided a wonderful place for people of all ages, especially young people, to meet, socialise and stay active. At a time when many sport and leisure facilities across the country are at risk of closure, I’m so proud that we have gone beyond simply protecting the old centre, to have instead more than doubled the capacity and created a truly inspirational venue that is at the cutting edge of leisure with world class facilities that will support physical and mental wellbeing for generations to come.”

Grace Williams, Leader of Waltham Forest Council, said:

“We’re very excited about the opening of the new Lee Valley Ice Centre on Lea Bridge Road. It is going to be absolutely fantastic having such a world class venue in our borough and, as well as having these incredible facilities on our doorstep, I’m really pleased that Lee Valley Ice Centre will also play a key role in supporting the community. The venue is going to become a focal point for so many people, with the council helping fund a range of community-based programmes working with young people and a whole host of different local groups.”

British Ice Skating – the sport’s National Governing Body – is launching its new Skate UK course at Lee Valley Ice Centre which is expected to further extend the reach and appeal of ice skating.

A range of programmes including a Targeted Crime Prevention Programme, Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme, Biodiversity Awareness Education Programme and an Employment and Apprenticeship Scheme, will run for 10 years with the support of ￡1m funding from the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

In addition, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will deliver a ￡250,000 Community Engagement Programme over the next 10 years. The fund will support access to the venue for community groups and schools across Waltham Forest and Hackney and will give 68,000 people the opportunity to participate different activities and take part in biodiversity learning programmes at the new venue free of charge.

Earlier this week, the venue was launched by Olympic Gold Medallist and President of British Ice Skating, Robin Cousins who was joined by over 100 local schoolchildren, a host of talented figure skaters, Lee Valley London Skating Club and the Lee Valley Lions ice hockey team to showcase the venue’s facilities. He said,

“I skated at the opening gala of the old Lee Valley Ice Centre in 1984. It’s fantastic to see that journey continue with this stunning new state of the art space – the perfect place to launch Skate UK, our new national learn to skate programme. Having these two Olympic size rinks in London is a game changer and I’m sure they will attract thousands of people of all ages and abilities, from World level competitors, community groups and families, to the first timers, who will experience the joy of ice skating and all it has to offer.”

Lee Valley Ice Centre is being operated by GLL and is expected to attract over 500,000 visits a year. It will be the most sustainable ice venue in the UK, combining innovative architectural features and ￡1.5 million-worth of landscaping, planting and environmental improvements. It uses solar panels, wastewater recycling and has fully electric operations. It is constructed using gabion baskets, which have built in nesting and bat boxes and is surrounded by meadows and new trees to attract and support wildlife and local biodiversity.

London Borough of Waltham Forest Dan Buck shaun dawson Richard Arnold Leighton Cooksey FaulknerBrowns Mike Hall Tony Wallace Peter Bundey jessica gavaghan WRENBRIDGE (SPORT) LIMITED LDA Design Neil Mattinson Joanna Asia Milewska WSP in the UK Emily Taylor MRTPI Nick Russell Elliott Russell Expedition Engineering Ltd Fred Labbé Keith Wilson British Ice Skating Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd Stephen Bromberg GLL