Ice skating rink one slide closer

By Suzanne Green

Friday 8th October 2004

Plans for a new ice skating rink in Wellington have taken a step forward with the lodging and advertising of an application for resource consent.

A preliminary hearing is set for later next month.

Wellington City Council called for expressions of interest earlier this year and chose the capital's biggest indoor sports operator, Wellington Indoor Sports, as the preferred developer for the rink planned for town belt land in Newtown.

Wellington Indoor Sports managing director Mukesh Dahl said it had been hoped the development would have been ready by Christmas next year.

"But the way it's heading it's likely to be February-March 2006."

The 26m by 56m rink fell a little short of Olympic size but would be big enough for international games and complied with the International Ice Hockey Federation rules, he said.

Linking it with a ten-pin bowling alley was an important part of the plan. "The ice rink won't really make money," Dahl said.

"It wasn't going to be viable without something added. The two together will complement each other quite well and they will become a sort of recreation destination."

The council will contribute $50,000 toward resource consent costs and $70,000 a year toward the land leased by Premises Management Trust. The ice rink was one of Wellington mayor Kerry Prendergast's 2001 election promises.

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