We are excited to announce that planning permission has been submitted to relocate Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre to Broadwater Lake. This is very close to our original site and will involve joining forces with the existing sailing club Broadwater Sailing Club. We have been having constructive conversations with the club and believe we will both benefit from what the new site has to offer.
The site is on a SSSI (Special Site of Scientific Interest) and is an important location for winter nesting birds and as a wildlife haven for the local area. The Council have been working with Natural England to ensure the plans enhance and enrich the existing wildlife and ecology. We believe that the measures put in place with the planning application will enable us to co-exist at the site with the existing wildlife population. As those who used the existing site regularly will know we had an abundance of wildlife on and around the original site and the measures being put forward for the new site should only improve this relationship with nature over the long term.
The new site promises to be a national flagship outdoor centre offering the latest green carbon zero technologies, a carbon neutral build, and ongoing energy saving initiatives. Not many outdoor centres get the opportunity to be built from scratch in this way.
We do however expect some local groups to object to this planning application and do understand that it is not a straight-forward decision to relocate HOAC to this site. Choosing this site has been a difficult decision for the Council as it would be much easier to locate us somewhere else where there isn’t any conflict with nature, unfortunately all alternative sites have been ruled out over the last 10 years of searching for a new home. So, it is imperative that you engage with the planning process and highlight to the council the importance of HOAC to you and the local area.
During the pre-planning application process the council were surprised and impressed by the personal stories that users had to share, and I know there are many more stories out there that have not yet been told. Every narrative is unique, and every journey is special, please don’t assume that someone else will respond on your behalf we need to hear your story. You may have moved on and not be intending to use HOAC at the new site, but many more people will come in the future who may have a similar story to yours waiting to be told, your input now can give them the opportunities in the future to create life-affirming adventures.
The planning process is the next step to getting the centre back-up and running. Should approval go through we will then highlight our pathway to re-opening as the process evolves. The best way to keep up to date is to sign up to the newsletter on our website and check out our social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and X.
