No Ice Rink For Chichester This Christmas

There will be no ice rink in Chichester’s Priory Park this Christmas.

The news was shared during a district council meeting on Tuesday (May 14) with an increase in costs being the main reason for the decision.

The decision went down well with Reverend Canon Bruce Ruddock, chairman of the Priory Park Society.

The society had been a vocal opponent of plans to once again bring the ice rink to the park.

A rink was previously installed in 2018, attracting more than 19,000 users, but residents in the area felt it was a failure in almost every respect.

They reported noise, damage to the ground and raised concerns about endangering the park’s historic character.

Mr Ruddock thanked the council for its decision and for listening to those who had opposed the rink.

He joked that members must feel a bit like King Henry II, quoting “who will rid us of this turbulent priest”.

And he asked if any of the other issues – rather than just cost – had been discussed before the decision was made.

Jess Brown-Fuller, cabinet member for culture & events, said a procurement exercise had been carried out and the mitigation of potential noise and damage had been included in the brief for potential providers.

She added:

“An evaluation of the submissions was undertaken and it was felt that the risks associated with the potential areas of concerns could have been mitigated but unfortunately the financial risks associated with the project delivery were high.

“Therefore the difficult decision was taken to not proceed with the project this year.”

Ms Brown-Fuller acknowledged that many people would be disappointed by the lack of an ice rink, but said the council was looking into other events for the festive period.

As for whether the rink might return in the future, she told the meeting that if the noise and damage concerns could be addressed and the cost was right then ‘all reasonable locations’ would be considered.