The white water canoe centre was the first brand new London 2012 venue to be completed when it was unveiled by the Princess Royal last December and it will open to elite athletes, as well as the general public, for rafting and canoeing next month.

The British Canoe Union (BCU) now want the venue to host further elite competition and Andy Goodsell, the BCU competition manager, has already met with members of Waltham Abbey Town Partnership (WATP) to outline the details of the bid to stage the 2015 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.

The proposals from the BCU suggest that the region could receive economic benefits of around £1.5 million ($2.4 million) from staging the event and Tony O'Connor, chairman of the WATP tourism group, said he fully backs the bid.

"This proposal demonstrates the long term benefits the new Lee Valley White Water Centre brings to the local area," said O'Connor.

"Waltham Abbey has a fantastic concentration of tourist attractions for a wide range of visitors and events like this will increase the town's exposure and allow potentially thousands of people to discover this hidden gem."

Having submitted their bid to the International Canoe Federation (ICF), the new Lee Valley White Water Centre faces stiff competition to host the event from the commune of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, which is situated in the South East of France.

The two candidates will now be invited to present their bid in front of the ICF Board of Directors on April 15 in Paris before a final decision is made on where the event will be held.

Cathy MacBride, Town Centre Officer from the Epping Forest District Council, added: "The 2015 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships would attract thousands of people to the actual event over five days plus the competitors and support staff for a longer period.

"Lots of those visitors will be staying overnight and will want great places to eat and shops to browse around.

"The potential legacy promised by the Olympics is beginning to show itself for businesses and the community."

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