Council: ‘We’re still committed to ice’
LEADER SAYS A NEW ARENA WILL BE BUILT
HULL City Council’s leader has said the authority is still “committed to ice” despite dropping plans for a new arena in its updated Albion Square proposals.
Hull City Council leader Daren Hale said the £10m cost of keeping the Three Ships mural in Albion Square and space requirements meant arena plans there no longer “stacked up”.
Cllr Hale added on BBC Radio Humberside the former Staples site on Myton Street was earmarked for a new ice arena, but work would not begin for at least five years.
However, Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Mike Ross said the council had “serious questions to answer” after dropping the ice arena plans and leaving residents “in limbo”.
It comes as Hull City Council stated it was dropping plans for the ice arena, opting instead for a rewilding project that would create an urban woodland.
The scheme also features bike storage and electric charging points as well as a mixture of housing, shops and leisure spaces.
The city’s existing Kingston Street arena also remains closed following £1.2m refurbishment works, including the installation of a new ice pad.
Cllr Hale told BBC Radio Humberside host David Burns the revised Albion Square plans now included around 400 residential units, expected to house about 600 people.
He added the Albion Square project would take around three years to complete, with building works set to last about two years, and cost roughly £100m.
Cllr Hale also said the existing ice arena’s new pad was designed to be moved to a future new rink
The council leader said: “First and foremost, we’ve had the issue with the mural which has to stay where it is.
“The building behind it is full of asbestos, it’s a dirty bomb.
“We can’t get the arena to stack up in terms of space requirements with the mural, these things happen.
“I think the rewilding and having the new urban green space will be fantastic.
“We need to get extra green space back into the city centre and we’re leading the way on that.
“It’s not just about trees, there’s more of a desire for people to live in city centres which also brings shops like convenience stores, so people can get essentials in the city centre.
“And if there’s one thing that stops antisocial behaviour it’s footfall,
nothing disrupts bad behaviour like people living somewhere.
“We’ve already spent money on the existing ice arena to give it a new lease of life.
“We’re still committed to ice, the arena is going to happen.”