the 1979 battle to save walthamstow marshes

In 1979, the Lea Valley Regional Park Authority proposed to extract gravel from the Marsh and to then develop playing fields and a lake. The Greater London Council refused planning permission on 4th february 1980. The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority appealed to the Department of the Environment in August 1980 with a public enquiry held in the summer of 1981. This led to the designation of the Marshes as a SSSI in 1985 and as a Nature Reserve in 1986, following the Park Plan Review. more details at: Lea Bridge Heritage

We came across this film via twitter. A useful reminder of the thanks we owe the campaigners, past and present , battled against the threats to our marshes.