There are fresh hopes that Ryde’s dilapidated ice rink could be brought back into use after the Isle of Wight Council agreed to let new tenants take over the abandoned building.
Earlier this year the local authority said it was ‘happy in principle’ with a new leaseholder but it has now formally agreed to the change. The council is the freeholder of what used to be Ryde Arena, and has to approve the transfer of the lease.
Although the name of the new tenant remains a secret, it is rumoured that the former Ryde Arena will be occupied by a well-known local business and transformed into a food and drink attraction. The business already operates out of 3 separate units in the Ryde area, so the ice rink building would allow more of the operation to come under one roof.
Ryde councillor and Mayor, Michael Lilley, asked for an update on the building at a corporate scrutiny committee on Tuesday because, despite the Ryde Gateway improvements, the town still has a ‘dilapidated eyesore’ on its seafront. Cllr Lilley said the council had let the Island’s young people – and potential Winter Olympic medal winners – down by not bringing the ice rink back.
The arena has stood empty since 2016.
In 2018, the Isle of Wight Council tried to bring legal action against AEW, the current leaseholder. However, that was dropped last year, when County Hall was advised there was little hope of positive resolution.
The Isle of Wight Council has said that the new, unnamed tenants want to refurbish and reuse the premises, but the authority needs an update on the handover progress from AEW, now called NY Mellon.
Meanwhile, plans for a new ice rink at Smallbrook Stadium were passed nearly 3 years ago by the council. No progress has been made because the group behind it, Smallbrook Ice and Leisure Centre, say there were drainage issues.
Councillor Chris Quirk, vice-chair of the Isle of Wight Council’s scrutiny committee, said the lack of progress was disappointing but the search was still on for a facility on the Island.
I prey its ice hockey legend tony blaize bringing back a military squad called the mighty ducks
Gonna be one big costa coffee!
Why keep it a secret, is it because someone is getting a back hander by allowing the planning permission
Where’s the news here? You’re telling us nothing!
Where have all the comments gone? Loads on this story last night!
I bet it’s all of the “negative” comments
They’re definitely filtering out all of the negative comments