‘Forgotten’ ice arena in sorry state as doors remain closed
BUILDING HAS NOT REOPENED SINCE SHUTTING DURING COVID LOCKDOWN
THOUSANDS of Hullensians will have their own special memories of Hull Arena.
From ice skating parties and ice hockey matches to concerts and even WWE wrestling, the Kingston Street venue has been a cornerstone of leisure activity in the city.
However, pictures captured within the building shows it has fallen into a state of disrepair.
Parts of the rink appear to have been churned up, while tyre marks have also broken through the icy surface that could frequently welcome hundreds of skaters to any given open session.
A notice was posted on the Hull Arena Facebook page in March, describing how the coronavirus pandemic would be used as an opportunity to carry out “maintenance work”.
“The building is not expected to be ready to open to the public for a few weeks,” the notice said.
But seven months later, it is still to welcome back skaters.
Elsewhere in the UK, ice rinks were allowed to reopen following lockdown on August 15, providing they could be operated in a Covid-secure way.
However, frustration is growing that many Hull skaters are having to travel to Leeds to get their practice in.
“Updates from Hull Arena on their Facebook page have been few and the page hasn’t been updated since the original lockdown closure,” one concerned skater said.
“Their responses to people asking is ‘we don’t have a reopening date yet’. But that’s not a fair answer. “Ice rinks have been able to open for over seven weeks now, yet Hull is still shut. “The junior ice hockey team are having to travel to Leeds weekly to access ice time.
“Figure skaters cannot get ice time at other rinks, many don’t have access to the transport needed to get to other arenas.
“The city’s ice hockey teams and figure skaters, as skaters, , well as hobby are losing out.”
Long-term plans s remain focused on n closing the Hull Arena a completely in favour of f a new rink which is part t of the plans for the new w £130m Albion Street t development.
Despite the economic c impact brought about ut by Covid-19, council il officials maintain they y plan to relocate the city’s y’s only rink. However, this is could be several years rs down the line.
It has also been sugggested that operators ors would be unable to repair an ageing part of the mechanism that keeps the ice frozen should it fail, meaning a move across the city could be one of the only ways of keeping the sport in Hull.
The picture shared with the Mail illustrates that the arena is a “forgotten” victim of the pandemic, according to another concerned user.
“My friend recently entered the Hull Arena and took this photo. It shocked me and made me feel sad at the same time,” she said.
“It’s one of those forgotten places, as pubs, school and restaurants have been forefront of people’s minds.”
In response, a spokesman for the council said: “The Ice Arena has been closed due to essential maintenance required following the extended closure of the building as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are currently looking at the steps needed for reopening, in line with the latest Public Health England guidance, in what is an ever-changing environment. “We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will update customers when we have more information.” on the
Ice rinks have been able to open for over seven weeks now, yet Hull is still shut Concerned skater