Constructed on the site of the old venue in Leyton, the £30m regional centre will be one of only three Olympic-sized twin rinks in the UK and the only venue of its kind in the southeast. Both rinks will be larger than the one in the original venue doubling capacity to attract over 500,000 people a year.

The new Lee Valley Ice Centre will include a café, gym, exercise studios and community spaces which will be open to everyone.

“Starting work on this stunning, transformational investment is a declaration of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s long[1]term commitment to communities in east London and across the region,” said Shaun Dawson, chief executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.

“We know how much the old venue was valued by people near and far, and the new one will have an expanded range of programmes for schools, community organisations, and under-represented groups – all of which will aid community cohesion plus physical and mental wellbeing.”

Once the centre is complete, the Authority will fund a £250,000 Community Engagement Programme that supports access to the venue for local community groups and schools. This will give over 68,000 people the opportunity to try out different activities at the new venue. The London Borough of Waltham Forest’s £1m funding will complement the programme to create a package of benefits for residents.

Construction is being carried out by Buckingham Group Contracting.