Ice legends back city rink plan (From Daily Echo)
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Torvill and Dean lend support to Southampton Ice Rink plan
9:52am Saturday 23rd January 2010 in News
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
THEY are the Olympic legends of the rink who have helped bring ice skating to the masses through the hit show Dancing on Ice.
And now champion figure skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have thrown their weight behind popular plans to give Southampton an ice rink again after more than 20 years.
As previously reported by the Daily Echo, city developer Colin Warburg has revealed plans for a £10m ice rink complex on the former Chantry Hall site in St Mary’s.
In a letter to Southampton Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club, former world champions Torvill and Dean, who stunned the world with their gold-medal winning performance to Ravel’s Bolero in 1984, gave their support to the plans. Jayne Torvill wrote: “Chris and I have seen the proposed plans for a new ice rink at Southampton and think it looks like a fantastic scheme.
“We fully support the plans and hope that, after all the years of campaigning Southampton is successful in seeing the return of such ice facilities.
“We wish the very best of luck to all at the Southampton Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club, and also the city of Southampton in your campaign.”
The pair, who were awarded OBEs in 1999 for their services to ice skating, can be seen on television each Saturday night mentoring celebrities – as well as dancing their own routines – on Dancing on Ice.
Southampton Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club secretary Edna Boden said: “Chris and Jayne are probably the most famous ice skaters in the country and it is absolutely brilliant that the proposed rink has their backing.”
The proposed complex would house a 56m by 26m rink, cafe, restaurant, and gym as well as a number of retail outlets.
The rink, which could create up to 200 jobs, could also become home to a city-based ice hockey team and provide a home for figure skaters.
Ice skating campaigners, enthusiasts and interested members of the public went along to a series of meetings at St Mary’s Church on Thursday to see and hear how the long-awaited return of ice skating will become a reality.
Developer Mr Warburg said: “An ice rink in Southampton has been a long time coming.
“This time we do not have to acquire the land and there are good transport links to the proposed site. We have had positive feedback and the signs are good.”
Last week he met with council planners to discuss the proposals.
Following the meeting, Mr Warburg told the Daily Echo talks had gone “as well as expected” and that he anticipated plans would be submitted in February.
Comments(18)
Common
says...
10:52am Sat 23 Jan 10
.
If this is privately funded with no drain on the taxpayer, then fair enough, build it. But as a Soton tax payer, I don't want my money going to this. A multipurpose arena for concerts, exhibitions and other sports would make much more sense.
colinpickford1
says...
11:17am Sat 23 Jan 10
hulla baloo
says...
11:57am Sat 23 Jan 10
Common wrote:Agreed.
Would you expect people who make their living from ice skating to say anything different? . If this is privately funded with no drain on the taxpayer, then fair enough, build it. But as a Soton tax payer, I don't want my money going to this. A multipurpose arena for concerts, exhibitions and other sports would make much more sense.
With a removable floor to reveal an ice rink. (-:
stay local
says...
12:00pm Sat 23 Jan 10
colinpickford1
says...
12:01pm Sat 23 Jan 10
stay local wrote:Ice speedway sounds like a great comprimise to me.
So by how much did they support the scheme? 10p ? these are empty words with no relevence. P.S. I support the building of an international speedway arena ! There I have now said it let it happen!
Now where did i put those spikes??
G0Rf
says...
3:20pm Sat 23 Jan 10
stay local wrote:Sounds like a good idea.
So by how much did they support the scheme? 10p ? these are empty words with no relevence. P.S. I support the building of an international speedway arena ! There I have now said it let it happen!
But...if they are going to build an ice rink no point in building one if it aint going 2 be a decent size one!
Saint Cope
says...
4:22pm Sat 23 Jan 10
A multipurpose arena for concerts, exhibitions and other sports would make much more sense.
THE BRICK
says...
6:39pm Sat 23 Jan 10
Let the good times return and show all the nay-sayers that they can be as negative as they want to be, it won't stop people who like enjoying themselves doing just that.
Oh well, come on then, slag me off like you all normally do:)
Saint_Davey
says...
6:52pm Sat 23 Jan 10
cazgold
says...
8:55pm Sat 23 Jan 10
Saint Cope wrote:yes we do need a rink. we could have concerts etc at the st marys football ground like we had in the past ie bon jovi and elton john to which 3 times ive been there for them . you must be one sad person SAINT COPE who like to ruin it for other people .my kids love skating and hockey and so do many of their friends but we all cant afford to travel to basingstoke and gosport ...keep up the good work THE BRICK and hope to catch up soon
WE DON'T WANT AN ICE RINK. A multipurpose arena for concerts, exhibitions and other sports would make much more sense.
freefinker
says...
8:59pm Sat 23 Jan 10
colinpickford1
says...
9:48pm Sat 23 Jan 10
freefinker wrote:Just goes to show that thinking aint free......and you cant afford it.
Big yawn. The non-story returns yet again to the Echo. It ain't gonna happen because it's just not viable. That's why it hasn't been build these last 20 years. That's why there are so very, very few ice rinks in the UK. It's a permanent non-starter, full stop.
Lone Ranger
says...
10:57am Sun 24 Jan 10
Saint Cope wrote:Oh.. so just because you dont want eh.!! ....If its not going to cost you one penny to build or run then whats your problem. If you want another type of arena find someone to build it, as long as it doesn't cost me a penny i couldn't care less
WE DON'T WANT AN ICE RINK. A multipurpose arena for concerts, exhibitions and other sports would make much more sense.
stay local
says...
2:27pm Sun 24 Jan 10
source Daily Echo Saturday 16th January 2010
"Experts have warned however of the high running costs of an ice rink and the careful planning needed to operate it."
In 2008/09 Olympic skating star Robin Cousins stepped in but also made a “substantial” loss.
Alan Abretti, operations manager at Cousins Entertainment, said he found it “hard to see” how a permanent ice rink could make money in the city.
He said: “I can’t see how any ice rink is going to make money in this economic climate.
“If a temporary rink is not viable I find it hard to see how a stand-alone rink will cope.
“It will need to be very well thought out and planned.”
He said an ice rink in the city would suffer if it only had one skating area or “pad”.
“Robin and I wholeheartedly support the opening of any ice rink and we really try to push as many as we can,” he said, “however it would need to be one that promotes the sport of ice skating and not just the leisure side of it.
“People need to realise it is not necessarily a money-making thing."
RRT
says...
5:01pm Sun 24 Jan 10
Warburb "nice" chap with history.
At least it will provide VERY short term employment for hundreds of youngsters.
Good luck Southampton
teh
says...
2:09pm Mon 25 Jan 10
Please stop being so negative and enjoy the potential for great things
jamie25
says...
5:02pm Thu 28 Jan 10
hulla baloo says...
10:30am Sat 23 Jan 10
They were last here when....?
If such a good idea, why not stump up their own money.