Plans for an all-new multimillion ice sports venue that includes a gym and exercise studio have been submitted.

The proposed Lee Valley Ice Centre will replace the current single-pad venue on Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, after 34 years of use, should Waltham Forest Council approve the planning application.

Two Olympic-sized ice rinks will accommodate a range of sports for all ages and abilities, from ice skating, ice hockey and curling, with cafés and community spaces also on site.

If Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) plans are approved, the ice centre is expected to cost £30million and will become the first twin-pad venue in the south of England, expected to attract half a million visitors a year.

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority chief executive Shaun Dawson said: “We’ve taken our time to listen to communities and ensure that the feedback they have given us has been incorporated into the designs.

“This scheme would create a new Lee Valley Ice Centre that would be somewhere the whole community feels welcome.

“It is vital that this scheme is given the green light, otherwise this wonderful community activity will be lost for good.

“We are confident we have demonstrated that the new centre will not only provide an exciting place for young people to get involved in sport but will also enhance the physical and mental health of people of all ages, locally and from across the region.”

FaulknerBrowns Architects have been assigned to design a new centre to improve and enhance the landscape that is attractive to both visitors to the centre and the surrounding parkland.

Physical inactivity in the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest and Hackney currently costs £107 million each year.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Lee Valley Ice Centre has been popular with east London residents and surrounding areas for the past 34 years

Lee Valley Ice Centre is one of the most popular ice-skating venues in the UK, accommodating around 279,000 visits a year from across London and the wider region.

Almost a third of skaters at the current Lee Valley Ice Centre are from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background, with women and girls make up around 60 per cent of visitors.

Overwhelming support or a new ice venue has been received from the community, with over 80 per cent of responses to a 2019 consultation backing the proposed plans.

Carlos, aged 17,who has been skating at the centre since he was three years old, said: “Lee Valley Ice Centre has been a massive part of my life for the past 14 years. Whether it’s been skating or volunteering, I’ve always felt part of the community at the centre.

“It’s also important for the community - there are a lot of clubs that use the ice centre. I don’t know what I would do without it.”

Eddie Joseph, coach at Lee Valley Lions Junior Ice Hockey Club, said: “Working with young people at the centre is amazing, it’s great to see young people from aged four up to 18 getting active and really committing to a sport.

“We’ve had some great success and I’ve seen first-hand the impact that this can have on the lives of young people.

“The planned new ice centre will allow clubs like us to reach even more people in the local area, which can only be seen as a good thing.”

Should the application be approved, plans to begin construction for the new Lee Valley Ice Rink are planned for mid-2021.

To show your support for the new Lee Valley Ice Centre, respond to the formal consultation being run by the London Borough of Waltham Forest by emailing dmconsultations@walthamforest.gov.uk, quoting #194162 to provide your feedback.

Find out more about the plans at www.icecentreredevelopment.com, or get in touch with the consultation team on LVIC@communitycomms.co.uk or 0800 093 1716.