The Wave London

Where is the site?

The Wave London is planned to be in a 100 acre site in The Lee Valley Leisure Par, located in the Borough of Enfield in the North of London.

Who owns the site?

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority own the freehold of the site.

What is the site currently being used for?

The site is currently home to Lee Valley Golf Course, and also includes Ponders End Lake and Lee Valley Camping and Caravan Park, Edmonton.

The wider complex is also home to Lee Valley Athletics Centre, Odeon Luxe Lee Valley and a wedding and events venue

What are you looking to deliver here?

We are looking to create the first inland surfing destination in any capital city around the world – it will be an oasis of sport, health & wellbeing and relaxation.

We want to open up this amazing green space to many more people – and also bring the positive power of water and waves to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

As well as surfing, there will be other options for those who want to be active, as well as places for those who want peace and tranquillity, with food and drink, and facilities for children and families.

There’s a lot of potential for different areas of activity alongside surfing and relaxation, such as natural play-spaces, camping and sports activities.

The Wave London will deliver new jobs and opportunities for local people.

Will the facilities be available for the local community to use?

Absolutely, our vision is to create an oasis of sport, leisure, health & wellbeing that will be a major asset to local residents and visitors for years to come. Many areas of the site will be free for visitors to enter and use.

What wave technology will you be using?

We will be using Endless Surf ES48 technology for our London project.

Will there be different wave settings for beginners, intermediates, and advanced surfers?

We will have a range of wave settings so that people of all ages and abilities can surf and enjoy the water. There will be a mix of surf sessions, lessons and coaching available.

Why have you chosen Endless Surf?

We are really excited by the progression of the surf park industry and have been watching with interest the different technologies that have been implemented into parks across the world.

The site in London has some unique challenges which we’re delighted can be overcome by Endless Surf’s design.

Endless Surf’s technology offers great flexibility for wave settings suitable for everyone from a child stepping on a board for the first time,, all the way to professional surfers training for the Olympics.

When can we see the designs for the site?

Our public consultation will start in March 2025 and we will share the latest designs ahead as part of this. To find out more about the consultation and to keep up to date with the latest developments, please sign up to our mailing list.

Will residents be able to influence the types of activities that will be available at The Wave London?

We have taken feedback from our previous public consultation, along with what we have learnt from operating The Wave Bristol for the past 5 years to develop our plan for the London site

As part of the March 2025 consultation, we would welcome feedback from residents and community groups on our plans – and hear if they feel there is anything we haven’t included which could be of benefit to local people

We’re especially keen to understand how we should utilise the northern end of the site for golf. We want to consider how we might keep a great golfing experience for those who play regularly but also encourage new users with potential different formats

When will it be built / open?

We aim to submit a planning application in Spring 2025 and hope to be able to start construction once that is granted. We will keep our website updated with timescales as they become clearer.

When are the consultation events?

We will be hosting a consultation event in Edmonton Green Shopping Centre on 1st March from 10am to 2pm

How can I feedback on the plans?

When the public consultation opens, you will be able to view all of our plans online and submit your feedback via an online form on our website

Isn’t this a Green Belt site?

Yes, this is a designated Green Belt site, though it has been used for leisure since the 1970s. It is also identified within Enfield Council’s Local Plan as a ‘Major Development Site within the Green Belt.’ This means that there is an opportunity to improve the sports and leisure offer here with a variety of activities, in line with the Lee Valley Regional Park Development Framework

Will this have an impact on local wildlife and biodiversity?

In Bristol, we have improved the biodiversity of the former low-grade farmland the surfing lake was built on, with new trees, hedgerows and wild flower seeding. We have also installed bee hives and ‘bug hotels’. We are excited to do even more of this on the London site

The Wave London will respond to the climate and ecological emergency by creating a biodiverse rich environment – one which celebrates the mature trees, waterbodies and rolling landscape across the site with ideas that will restore, rewild and regenerate

Our vision is to create a place where people exist in harmony with local ecosystems, establishing a benchmark for social health, wellbeing and climate resilience

We see this project as ‘Greener than the Green Belt’ where the majority of the existing landscape will be preserved, enhanced and restored, supporting new leisure facilities and sustainable infrastructure planting the seeds of a ‘Blue-Green Future’

How will you ensure the development is sustainable?

We are a certified BCorp business – which means we consider our impact on people and planet at all times.

We seek to minimise any negative impact on the world around us – and wherever possible create a positive impact.

The Wave Bristol is 100% powered by renewable energy via Good Energy and we have our own onsite solar farm that produces 125% of our annual energy consumption.

Whilst we won’t initially have a solar farm in Enfield, we will connect to the renewable grid and will look at ways to provide on-site power generation.

We will look to manage our carbon footprint across the site, through design and construction.

Will there be parking?

The site already has a significant car park, though this is shared with the cinema, Lee Valley Athletics Centre and a wedding venue, and we understand it can be very busy at peak times.

We don’t want to add to the need for lots of car parking, but we are also realistic about the way people are likely to travel to the site and we really want to avoid our visitors parking on local roads.

We are working with Enfield Council and TfL to explore a number of solutions to ensure there’s enough parking on the site whilst balancing a desire for Tthe Wave to be a destination that users can travel to sustainably.

Will public transport links be improved?

We know that public to the site is limited at the moment to the W8. We will work with the other venues on the site as well as TFL to see if any improvements to public transport can be made now or in the future.

We are also considering how links to existing public transport can be improved to make travelling to the site by public transport both easier and safer

Will this have an impact on the local road network?

We don’t believe the site will have a significant impact on the local road network. We have undertaken detailed transport studies and will be discussing transport plans as part of the planning application to ensure any impact is adequately mitigated

What is the planning process?

Once we submit planning in Spring to the London Borough of Enfield, the application will follow their standard process. As part of this, the application will be referred to the GLA and TFL for their input.

The timelines for planning can vary and we will be working with all stakeholders to ensure we’ve provided all the information required for a smooth process

We’ve heard about this project before, will it happen this time?

We are very keen to bring The Wave to London and will be working very hard to make this project happen. The time we’ve taken before submitting a planning application was to ensure that we had the confidence to push ahead, and all the information needed to make the project a success.

How many and what type of jobs do you anticipate the new complex will create?

In Bristol we have up to 200 employees in our peak season across surf operations, customer service, food & beverage, retail, campsite and other activities

What will happen to the current golfing and camping facilities at the site?

We are looking at the feasibility of retaining a golfing experience in the northern end of the site, potentially maintaining part of the existing course.

The camping facilities will be refreshed, with different types of facilities offers and more communal gathering space.

Why was this particular site chosen when it’s not easy to access on public transport?

We looked extensively across London for the right site to meet the needs of what we want to create – and we believe this is the best site for The Wave.

The plans would open up this underused green space to many more people.

The Lee Valley Leisure Complex can be accessed via public transport in a number of different ways

Are you planning to improve / open up further cycle routes as part of the development?

We want to encourage active travel as much as possible and are looking at different forms of cycling including cyclist infrastructure, e-bikes, accommodating dockless bikes on site, and how we best encourage our customers to use these forms of travel.

Is Lee Valley Regional Park Authority funding any part of the project?

The Wave London will be a tenant of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA).

LVRPA has supported some of the initial survey work carried out on the site to ensure that the ground is suitable for development and will contribute towards some of the remediation work required.

When would work start?

Timing on construction is dependent upon the receipt of planning permission but we hope to start construction in 2026

When would The Wave open?

This would depend on multiple factors but our ambition is to be open in 2027.

How will the wave quality compare to other surf parks?

Endless Surf has produced world class quality waves which are suitable for all abilities, from beginners through to professional.

Feedback from Endless Surf’s first installation in Munich has been fantastic, and we are planning to build a larger lake with longer ride times and more capacity.

Will there be educational programs or school partnerships?

We love working with schools to provide experiences for their children and will have spaces available to host small and large groups.

Is there an entry fee for visitors who just want to watch?

The Parkland area of the site will be free for any visitors to enter and enjoy during opening hours, except on special event days. Everyone will be able to visit our clubhouse and watch the surfers in action, but to access the lakeside there will be an admission fee.

How accessible will the site be for people with disabilities?

Our site in Bristol was designed to be fully accessible and we are working on the same principles in London – being a place for all abilities has been a founding principle since the very beginning.

We are keen to encourage more people with disabilities to try surfing and so ensuring that their needs are met is always on our mind during design.

Will there be opportunities for corporate bookings or private events?

Yes, we are ensuring that we have event spaces within our clubhouse and across the site so that we can host private events.

Will The Wave London cause any Light pollution that will affect local residents or wildlife?

We will be looking to install lighting around the site, including floodlighting for the lake. We will ensure that this is directional lighting, reducing any overspill from the areas that are intended to be lit and photos of our newly installed floodlights in Bristol can show how well this works.

Elsewhere around the site we will use low level lighting to ensure safe walking routes and will only light areas that are necessary.

We will have no lighting in our canal corridor and on the golf course, ensuring that there are truly dark areas retained around the site for the benefits of wildlife and residents.

How noisy will the site be and should local residents be concerned about the impact on them?

We’re designing the site to minimise impact to residents, including noise attenuation bunds to help absorb any noise before it reaches Pickett’s Lock Lane.

Whilst there will be activities that generate some noise whilst we’re open, we’re hoping this will mostly be the sound of people having fun!

We will have some outdoor music but we will always be considerate of our neighbours and ensure we maintain noise levels at an acceptable level at the site boundary.

What are the health benefits of surfing

As well as being great for physical and cardiovascular fitness, balance, coordination and muscle strength, surfing is also really great for our mental health. It is a blue health activity.

Blue health is a growing area of research that shows that being in or even near water is good for our health - especially our mental wellbeing. Exercising in or near water 'turbo charges' the mental health benefits of exercise.

When did The Wave Bristol Open?

The facility was opened in early 2020 and, in spite of the global coronavirus pandemic, has proven to be an extremely popular for people across the country

How many people visit The Wave Bristol each year?

We currently have approx. 150,000 visitors a year, made up of surfers and non-surfers. (This excludes non surfing accommodation users.)

What social impact has The Wave delivered in Bristol?

Our ambition is to create positive social change through surfing, to promote health and wellbeing for people, as well as the planet. We are also focused on identifying and removing any barriers that exist to blue spaces, be that physical, psychological, cultural or economic.

Examples of some of our social impact activity in Bristol include:
We are working with Surfing England to make surfing and its health benefits accessible to people suffering from physical and mental disabilities
We regularly partner with local schools and groups as part of our social impact activity and have delivered over 1,400 impact sessions in 2024
We worked with key partners such as Open Minds Active, Surfwell and others to help break down barriers to surfing and use it as a therapeutic tool
Through ‘The Wave Project’ we offer regular surf therapy courses and are providing classes for young people with the Prince’s Trust.
For the last two years we have hosted the English Adaptive Surfing Open in partnership with Surfing England
We supported the Seasuit project from clothing brand Finisterre, to create functional ‘modesty’ surf wear for women

Do you have any plans to deliver more Wave sites across the UK?

We have ambitions to continue to expand our estate and are actively looking for future sites. Our focus at the moment is continually improving The Wave Bristol and getting The Wave London open