Ryde Arena looks set to remain empty and in a deteriorating condition as the Isle of Wight Council has failed to make any progress in resolving the ongoing saga surrounding the former ice rink.
It has been confirmed that arbitration between the Isle of Wight Council and AEW has failed and with ‘little hope of a positive resolution’, the Council has stepped away from legal action altogether in the interests of saving public expense.
The arena was built by the former Medina Borough Council in the early 1990s and operated firstly under the local authority before a 125-lease was agreed with a commercial operator – including a requirement it was maintained as an operational ice rink for the first 15 years of the lease.
AEW purchased the ‘head’ lease in 2014 and came to a lease arrangement with a local community interest company to run the facility, but it soon became apparent insufficient income could be generated to run the ice rink on a viable basis. Since then the building has been empty and efforts to sell on the lease have so far proved unsuccessful.
The Isle of Wight Council owns the freehold of the former ice rink on Ryde seafront and has been in arbitration proceedings with AEW to try to get the building back into reasonable repair for use by the community. However, it has now been confirmed that those proceedings have been brought to an end as no agreement could be reached.
Cabinet member for regeneration and business development, Councillor Wayne Whittle, has said:
“The council has made extensive efforts during the arbitration to resolve areas of difference, and to find agreement which we believe would meet the wishes of the community for this important and sensitive seafront location currently standing dark at a key gateway to the Island.
“However, this disappointingly has not been achieved – and to avoid the potential for further expense to the council in chasing a position we are advised has little hope of a positive resolution through either the arbitration or legal process, we have had to step away to review the position. Our commitment on behalf of the local and Island community remains steadfast.”
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The council has indicated it is not willing to accept an alternative proposal put forward by AEW of replacing the arena with retail use in such a key and sensitive seafront location. It is also unwilling to make any of its surrounding land available on a temporary or permanent basis unless a proposal comes forward that has the support of the community. Ideally this would be a tourism/leisure-related use which supports the character of the seafront and its designation.
The leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Councillor Dave Stewart, has pledged to continue the search to find an acceptable long-term solution for the future of Ryde Arena – which meets the wishes of the local and wider Island community.
He’s said:
“We are hugely disappointed that the arbitration proceedings have failed to find an acceptable resolution, but remain determined to find a way ahead – and to see this currently empty building re-energised for the benefit of the community of Ryde and the Island.”
“The Isle of Wight Council has failed…”
Yup.
just leave it – eventually AEW will be forced to do something with it, as it will be so dilapidated that no one will pay what they want for it
In actuality, the longer it stays like it is, the stronger AEW’s hand becomes, and the more likely they are to get their own way in it’s future
They want the site for ‘luxury’ apartments which they’ve already tried to impose on Ryde seafront before public resistance stopped them – for now. They know exactly what they want to do there – always have – and everything else is waffle, flannel and running down the clock until the eyesore becomes so bad that resistance to the apartments is diluted away by ‘something must be done’.
there won’t be apartments so long as the hovercraft is next door
do not know why someone votes down ice’s post – it is realistic
anyone seeing that noisy hovercraft next door won’t want to buy a place, also, the windows would be forever covered in sand from the hovercraft and you would be living in the middle of the largest car park in Ryde, which is also one of the busiest.
they would never recoup the cost of building as the prices would always be lower – due to the endless racket.
open the windows in the summer and get a front room full of sand and spray
no-one would buy a flat there to live in.
on the other hand, it is an absolutely perfect location to sleep in and get on the first hovercraft every morning to commute, returning late at night to sleep again.
Prices would be through the roof and occupation would be solely DFL’s
not managed to achieve that with the Royal York hotel in george street which is just a conversion.
Perhaps Mr w h i t t le will use some of the ill gotten furrlough and grant cash to create ‘another’ ‘cash in hand’ staff paying outlet from which to max the income.
Mr Fountain, are you aware that this cretin is the main business leader for our local authority? Dealing with the publics millions, yet, as you say, many assume him very very suss.
We have had people who know ‘things’ and are currently assembling info on such.
My family run an honest business and find it totally disgraceful that a so called pillar of our society is involved in anything other than the strictest honesty and moral standards in private affairs when such is in charge of business advice here.
Watch this space!
Im gonna sit here & watch all the Thumbs down pop up ….. But Why not Demolish the eyesore & provide more parking spaces To Quay Rd Car Park ….. just think of all that extra Money they can rip residents off for in parking charges
The council can’t demolish the building until the lease has run out in about one hundred years. It is also the same reason the council cannot do anything with the building
They failed with this, but the community is still hopeful for a new rink?
If they can’t continue to fight for this because if expenses what make people think they are gonna stick to their word to help facilitate a new area.
This is what happens when a council cashes in on an asset and lets it on a long lease (125 years) you reap what you sow comes to mind.
Exactly! Absolute shambles of contract procurement.
Hope those who allowed it hang their heads in shame. 125 yr lease on a building with a specification hardly worthy of a shed.
ANOTHER empty building that will fall into decay and eventually be the target for vandalism. The island is slowly falling into decay. Soon there will be nothing here but a concrete sprawl if the predicted house building goes ahead as Westminster have planned. The cost of travelling to the island by car is horrendous and when holiday visitors arrive they are confronted with all these empty, dirty, decaying buildings. Poor Sandown seafront, the empty hotels are an eyesore. This is a prime location and should be trading once the COVID restrictions are lifted, but no, the Ocean and Kings will stay empty and an eyesore for years. It’s terrible. Action is needed to at least have some boarding put up to hide the decaying building and all the rubbish, bricks and concrete that at the moment is in full view.
Compulsory Purchase? What can Ryde Town Council do with the site – they are doing pretty well elsewhere?
Surely there is something in this excessively-long lease about keeping the building in good repair?
It seems that the isle of wight council has always been grossly inept. Good job they didn’t continue with” The Hanging gardens of Babylon or ” Ryde the city on the sands ” or perhaps the ” The Cowes to Newport cable car”. This council has always a load of dreamers, talk about a p+as up in a brewery’s.
Sadly this Ice Rink was too small by about 3 meters.. so made it difficult for Ice Hockey… I do not know why the council don’t put the rates and rent up.. keep putting it up and eventually that owning mainland company will leave. Council does it for shops so they move to Newport…
If Council ever get it, forget Ice Rink, why not turn it into a dance hall, community centre. Better than that awful Balcony..
Would the reason the IW Council wont go any further is because the Council Pensions are with AEW? And AEW have them just where they want them…..