Page 0: Page 1: Ice Rink Cabinet Advisory Group Final Report and Recommendations July 2007 601780/7.07 Listening to you, working for you www.bexley.gov.uk Page 2: ICE RINK ADVISORY GROUP – FINAL REPORT June 2007 1. Introduction At the Annual Meeting of the Council on 24 May 2006, the Ice Rink Advisory Group was established following a deputation on behalf of the Campaign for Ice Sports in Bexley. The Full Council also approved the order of Reference of the Advisory Group to “assess and report to the Cabinet on the feasibility and options for establishing a viable ice rink within the borough.” It was agreed that the review would focus in particular on the potential of each identified site, the size and cost of building a rink, the investigation of funding streams and the viability of an ice rink in the borough. This report presents the key findings and recommendations of the Advisory Group, which will be presented to the Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Tourism, by the Chairman, Councillor Matthew Scott. 2. Project Brief and Timetable At its first meeting, the Advisory Group agreed the scope and orders of Reference, giving consideration to the issues to be discussed. These issues were incorporated into an agreed workplan that would shape the project and define its direction. It was agreed that the project would: • • • • • Assess the potential of the three sites identified or others that maybe subsequently suggested in terms of planning constraints, traffic/parking implications and other amenity issues Investigate the size and estimated cost of building an ice rink in the borough and the type of development most suitable Explore potential sources of funding Assess the viability and sustainability of an ice rink operation Investigate different types of activities and operating costs The project timetable that the Advisory Group agreed for the review is attached at appendix A. 3. Key findings During the review, the sub-group spoke to a number of Council officers and external individuals as well as undertaking site visits to ice rinks. A full list of witnesses and advisers as well as places visited can be found at the end of this report. Page 3: Based on the information that was given to the Advisory Group, Members developed a set of key findings for the consideration of the Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Tourism and which are set out below. (a) Interest and extent of support for the development of an Ice Rink At the first meeting of the Advisory Group, Members agreed to obtain more information on the level of interest and extent of support for the development of an ice rink in the borough. Questionnaires were published in the News Shopper and Bexley Extra local newspapers towards the end of 2006. An amended version of the survey was also published in the Bexley magazine and on the Bexley Council website to gather further information. The surveys received over 700 replies in total. Members considered this to be a strong response from residents to a survey of this type. A high proportion of responses to the questionnaires revealed strong support for an ice rink in the borough. Responses also revealed a relatively high indication in terms of frequency of use and distance willing to travel to an ice rink. Respondents also indicated that they would like to participate in general skating, skating lessons and watching ice hockey matches. It was noted that the majority of respondents replied that they would be willing to pay between £5.00 and £6.00, which was a similar cost to that of other rice rinks such as Romford and Gillingham plus the additional cost for skate hire. (b) Sites The Campaign for Ice Sports in Bexley initially identified three potential sites in the borough; the former Splashworld swimming pool in Crook Log, Bexleyheath; the former Riverside pool in Erith High Street and the car park at the new Crook Log Leisure Centre in Brampton Road. In addition to these locations further details of other sites were discussed. Research suggested that the site area required for an ice rink would need to be a minimum of three acres, which was more than the areas available on the three sites suggested. It was also reported to the Committee that an offer for a residential development had been received for the Splashworld Centre and planning permission was sought. The capital receipt gained from this site had also been committed to the redevelopment of the Council’s new leisure centres. The former Riverside swimming baths in Erith was also investigated as a potential site. However its area was less than one acre and was further restricted by the Thames on its northern side. The site had also been identified for inclusion in the Erith Western Gateway redevelopment area and was scheduled to be marketed for mixed-use development. The anticipated capital receipt was also earmarked to fund the provision of the Council’s new Leisure Centres. It was noted that the new leisure centre at Crook Log together with its car park occupied the majority of its site. This would make locating an ice rink at the same location difficult. Members of the Cabinet Advisory Group discussed the possibility of locating an ice rink on stilts, thereby allowing a car park to be situated beneath. However they concluded that this would significantly increase the building cost. Furthermore, such a proposal would require Page 4: permission from the Boxwood Consortium that currently operates the Crook Log Leisure Centre. It was agreed that there may well be issue of car parking and shared usage that would mean that a deal could be difficult to conclude. In addition the Advisory Group noted that consideration would need to be given to planning issues such as the impact upon the local residential areas and traffic and parking. Other locations in the borough were discussed including privately owned properties. It was concluded, however, that all suggested areas were considered unsuitable due to their size, or had already been identified for development (such as that in Crayford) or had planning restrictions on development e.g. zoned Metropolitan Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land. It was also noted that funds raised from the selling of Council owned sites such as those as part of the accommodation strategy had already been ringfenced. (c) The type of development Members of the Cabinet Advisory Group undertook a number of site visits to learn more about the size, scale and different design that various ice rinks had followed. It was noted that some ice rinks such as the Guildford Spectrum Centre and the planned development for Sutton-in-Ashfield were part of a larger leisure complex which combined an ice rink with either a leisure centre or bowling or athletics centres. The benefit of combining an ice rink with a multi-functional site were twofold; firstly it added to the commercial viability of the overall site and secondly combining an ice rink with a swimming pool allowed greater financial saving because of the energy sharing across the two facilities which also reduced the impact upon the environment. However the combined centres occupied large site such as that in Guildford which covered 26 acres. Members were most impressed with the ice rinks at Lea Valley and Romford. Both sites consisted of an ice pad 26x56 meters which the Advisory Group considered to be most suitable for Bexley and also gave a more friendly atmosphere. A smaller rink such that that at Lea valley which cost £5.7 million to build was also thought to be more achievable. (d) Facilities and activities During their visits to ice rinks, Members also observed a number of facilities and activities that they thought worthy of inclusion in an ice rink in Bexley. They noted that some ice rinks were particularly quiet during the day when children were at school. However others such as Gillingham offered lessons to schools and Romford Ice Arena ran a ‘coffee club’ providing a skating lesson and coffee for £3.50 ensuring that the rink was used and giving people a taster session of ice skating. Romford Ice Arena also offered lunchtime skating periods as well as ‘schools out’ sessions for children in the early evening. It also offered special party nights and foam parties that were very popular and worthy of consideration. Other facilities that the committee thought should be considered included a restaurant, shop, a private club and rooms available for hire. Page 5: Members also agreed that ideally a potential ice rink in Bexley should offer as many sporting activities as possible. Members were aware that the provision of a diverse range of activities would have an impact on the cost of the ice rink not only in terms of the construction but also the running costs. However, the Advisory Group concluded that ideally a Bexley ice rink should encompass the following activities: • • • • • • • Ice skating Ice skating lessons Ice hockey Ice discos Curling Ice Shows Boarding to cover the ice rink so that it could become dual purpose and used for activities such as a dance hall Further consideration would need to be given in terms of popularity and feasibility to each of these activities, for example, Members were unsure how popular curling would be and whether a larger ice pad than that suggested would be required. Members were keen that the possibility of establishing an ice hockey team at a potential ice rink in the borough should be explored. It was noted that consideration would need to be given to the space to provide seating to watch ice hockey games and further investigation into the size of ice pad needed in relation to various ice hockey leagues would be required. (e) Sources of funding Members of the Advisory Group were aware that there was not the funding available to purchase land, construct an ice rink or subsidise an ice rink in the borough. The Group therefore sought to investigate a variety of funding streams to ascertain whether funds could be gained elsewhere. At the first meeting of the Advisory Group, Mr Andrew Sacha from Sports England informed the Group of the funding that the organisation provided. Sport England had two funding streams - national and community. Unfortunately, neither ice skating or ice hockey were classed as priority sports in the national investment programme that would benefit from the development of Whole Sports Plans by the national governing bodies and Sport England. Any financial assistance would therefore have to be part of the community investment programme where the aims and objectives of projects would be assessed against current priorities and strict criteria of the regional sports boards. Moreover, in London, since last year, there was a clear priority for developing facilities for the 2012 Olympics. One of the criteria was to assess the extent to which a project would increase participation in sport and active recreation and to this end it was more likely that a multi-sport facility would attract funding rather than a single sport proposal. Equally, the possible conflict/competition with similar facilities in the area would need to be assessed. Members of the Advisory Group sought further information on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme that had been used to facilitate the Page 6: redevelopment and refurbishment of the Council’s three leisure centres in Bexleyheath, Erith and Sidcup. Mr Mike Ellsmore, Assistant Director (Audit, Technical and Exchequer) advised the Group why and how the scheme had been used to fund the project for leisure centres and also outlined the factors making the project successful. Key to the leisure schemes project was that it was demonstrated to be commercially viable and this might prove less easy for an ice rink. The Advisory Group also investigated whether a Section 106 agreement could be used to fund the construction of an ice rink. Mr Chris Westwood, Development Control, informed Members of the criteria that the Government recommends that includes five specific tests including that the Section 106 agreement or planning obligation must be related to the proposed development for example the loss of an existing community facility such as a sports centre that would be replaced with a new one. It was therefore concluded unlikely that a Section 106 agreement could be used to fund an ice rink. In addition other sources of funding were also discussed. Ms Caroline Welch, External Funding Officer, reported to the Committee that the National Sports Foundation matched those funds raised from private investment and allocated funds based on their criteria of projects being accessible to all in the community with an emphasis on those in deprived communities and the caveat that all profits generated are ploughed back into the project. Members expressed concern as to whether private investors would be willing to invest in a scheme with no means of gaining a return on their investment although it was suggested that an ice rink could have a linked commercial operation such as a shop or restaurant that would be profit making. In addition the Advisory Group also ascertained that the Big Lottery fund did not have any current programmes open for funding of capital sports projects. 4. Conclusion Research through the questionnaires and surveys revealed strong support from respondents with regards to the concept of an ice rink. In reaching its findings, the Ice Rink Cabinet Advisory Group investigated a number of factors including site, activities, facilities and funding. The Cabinet Advisory Group concluded that whilst the Council was supportive of the proposal of an ice rink in Bexley, the Council does not have the necessary capital or revenue funding to build such a facility itself. Other funding streams were investigated and examined but it was apparent that there were no sources that would be able to provide the size of funding available and the Group therefore concluded that the best chance for securing an ice rink would be if it were to be provided by a private commercial developer. The Sub-Group agreed that in order to investigate the potential for private finance into an ice rink project in the borough further and more specific investigation would be needed and therefore the Ice Rink Cabinet Advisory Group unanimously agreed to recommend that: Page 7: The Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Tourism be requested to consider commissioning a consultant to advise on the viability of a proposed ice rink and the prospects of attracting a scheme that would be provided by a commercial developer. 5. Summary of financial implications There are no specific financial implications arising from this report. If the Cabinet Member adopts the above recommendation, any financial implications would be considered at a later stage. 6. Summary of other implications The recommendations in this report are made on the basis that there are no negative impacts foreseen on social inclusion, equal opportunities, community safety, the environment and human rights. Page 8: 7. Next Steps Following agreement by the Ice Rink Advisory Group, the findings and recommendation will be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Tourism. The Cabinet Member will consider the recommendation and take any appropriate decisions relating to the report. Local Government Act 1972 – section 100d List of Background Documents Minutes – Ice Rink Cabinet Advisory Group – 8 May 2007 Members of the Ice Rink Cabinet Advisory Group Councillors: Alf Catterall, Kirsty Duncombe, Daniel Francis, James Hunt, Joseph Pollard, Matthew Scott (Chairman) and John Wilkinson. Co-opted Member: Mrs Jill Davis, Campaign for Ice Sports in Bexley. Principal Witnesses and Advisors Ms Ruth Baty – Contracts Manager Mr Mike Ellsmore, Assistant Director, Audit, Technical & Exchequer Mr Andy Sacha - Sport England Ms Janet Stone –Leisure Development Manager Mr Steve Wall - Assistant Director Arts, Property and Building Services Ms Caroline Welch, External Funding Officer Mr Chris Westwood, Team Leader, Development Control Ice Rinks visited Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre, Chelmsford, Essex Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex, Guildford, Surrey Romford Ice Arena, Romford, Essex Lee Valley Ice Centre, Leyton, London Directorate Lead Officers Steve Wall, Assistant Director (Arts, Property and Building Contact Officer: Services Reporting to: Peter Ellershaw, Director of Environment and Regeneration Services. Page 9: Appendix A – Project Timetable Date 18 July 2006 Activities Advisory Group meeting Participants Advisory Group Members Steve Wall (Asst Director (Arts, Property & Building Services) Purpose To deal with constitutional issues, including appointment of Chairman To set out the background and context of the issues. 6 September 2006 23 September 2006 30 September 2006 To give initial consideration to the issues to be addressed in assessing the feasibility of the project. Member input for the drafting of the project brief and agree business for next meeting. Advisory Group Advisory Group To discuss with Andy meeting Members Sacha from Sport England the funding issues for ice rink development. Steve Wall (Asst To receive report on Director (Arts, response from the Big Property & Building Lottery Fund Services) Suzanne Jackson To review planning & (Head of Property) property information on identified sites Toni Ainge (Head To consider draft Project of Cultural Brief Services) To consider the content of a questionnaire to be published in the News Shopper to gauge the level of interest in the project Site visit to Guildford Advisory Group To view activities and Spectrum Ice Rink Members events offered at ice rink venue Steve Wall (Asst To review experience of Director (Arts, other ice rink operators Property & Building Services) Site Visit to Lee Advisory Group To view Adult British Valley Ice Centre Members Skating Championships John Abbott To tour facilities at the centre Toni Ainge (Head of Cultural Services) Page 10: Date 20 November 2006 Activities Advisory Group meeting Participants Advisory Group Members Purpose Consideration of site visits and discussion of outcomes. Steve Wall (Asst Director (Arts, Property & Building Services) Finalise questionnaire for the TalkBack/Newshopper 27 January 2007 Site visit to Chelmsford Riverside Ice Rink 7 February 2007 Advisory Group meeting Ruth Baty, Contracts Manager Advisory Group To view activities and Members events offered at ice rink venues and review the experience of other ice rink operators. Steve Wall (Asst Discuss the findings from Director (Arts, the site visits. Property & Building Services) Ruth Baty, Discuss the findings from Contracts Manager the questionnaires. 20 March Advisory Group meeting Advisory Group Members Steve Wall (Asst Director (Arts, Mr Ellsmore, PPP Property & Building Services) Mike Ellsmore Ms Welch, Lottery funding May 2007 Advisory Group meeting Caroline Welch Advisory Group Members Steve Wall (Asst Director (Arts, Property & Building Services) Planner to attend to update members on Section 106 agreements. To develop draft recommendations for the report to the Cabinet Member. Adrian Matthews, Crook Log (former ice rink manager) to attend to speak to Members about running an ice rink. Page 11: Date May/June 2007 Activities Report to Cabinet member – Councillor P Catterall Participants Steve Wall (Asst Director (Arts, Property & Building Services) Purpose Final report to Councillor P Catterall to conclude the main findings of the work of the Cabinet Advisory Group. Ruth Baty, Contracts Manager Janet Stone, Leisure Development Manager Ceri Yates, Committee Services Page 12: