Gardeners at the Royal Pavilion say if the ice rink returns there this winter it could put the restoration of the gardens at risk.
Last year, the ice rink said it could be its last winter in the historic gardens – for now – because the long-planned £6.5 million restoration of the gardens was due to start this year.
At the time, Brighton and Hove Museums, the trust which runs the venue, said plans for the ice rink were still under consideration.
This week, members of the Pavilion’s gardening volunteer team were sent an email asking them to lobby Brighton and Hove City Council to stop putting pressure on the trust to allow the ice rink to return this winter.
The ice rink managers said they were still in discussions, but that a search for an alternative venue capable of powering the rink without polluting diesel generators had drawn a blank.
The email to volunteers said damage from hosting the ice rink had “scarred the landscape” and “greatly contributed” to the gardens being put on the Heritage At Risk register.
And it said if it returns this year, it would disrupt the imminent garden renovations, pushing up costs and therefore putting the whole project at risk.
The email says: “Allowing the ice rink to return and potentially jeopardise the carefully balanced project we’ve designed does not look good for the council at all.
“Indeed, there is a real threat this action could undermine future grant applications that the council makes to help fund vital work in the city which helps restore civic pride to us, its residents.
“Further, the many other organisations we have approached for funding will also question their generosity when they see us backpedal on our impassioned plea to help restore the garden.
“It will look hypocritical and our reputation will be severely impacted upon.”
Brighton and Hove News asked the council and the trust whose decision it is to hire out the gardens, and who receives the money, and whether it was the case that hosting the ice rink this year would put back the start of the renovation or increase the cost.
Neither had answered any of those questions at the time of publication, instead releasing a joint statement which is included at the end of this report.
Shella Parkin, from Laine Ltd, which operates the rink, said: “We are proud of the benefits the ice rink has brought to the Royal Pavilion and to the city for the last 15 years, not least around £8 million in annual outside visitor spend, the joy it has brought to millions over the years, its success in raising the national profile of the Royal Pavilion, the added security overnight, and the annual gardens-earmarked revenue it provides to Brighton and Hove Museums.
“We’ve been working with the council to look at locations for this year and we haven’t found a suitable venue which would enable our ice rink to run off a mains renewable tariff (no biomass) power connection of sufficient size, as we have done for over a decade.
“An ice rink consumes a huge amount of power and in this climate crisis we will not countenance running off diesel generators.
“Because of this, we requested a meeting with Brighton and Hove Museums to discover whether there might conceivably be a way to work around the gardens project this year.
“We believe the garden restoration is of critical importance and would never do anything to jeopardise or delay it, but for the sake of residents and visitors over winter we felt it was worth a conversation, and would still love to talk to explore any possibilities.”
The joint statement from the council and the trust said: “Brighton and Hove City Council and Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust understand how much the ice rink means to residents and visitors so have been exploring whether it’s possible to keep it at the Royal Pavilion for another year.
“Key to the discussions is the Royal Pavilion Garden Restoration project. The restoration of the grade I listed gardens, generously supported by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England, is an important and exciting project to regenerate the historic gardens for the benefit of our residents and visitors.
“Skating in the setting of the Royal Pavilion is a much-loved part of the festive season so we’re working together to explore whether it can return without compromising the restoration and enhancement of the historic gardens.”
The only solution I can think of, is to returf with removable grass as used on thousands of football pitches. Take the grass away in the winter and replace when the rink has gone.
What gives me the feeling this project will never get off the ground?
Oh, the peculiar irony.
The same council which appears content to let our much-loved floral clock stop in time is now working rather hard to ensure our much-loved ice rink does not.
Apparently the lawn may suffer. The gardeners are alarmed. There is a £6.5 million restoration to consider – or as one calls it – 325 years of the floral clock ticking away. And yet the council seems determined to explore whether Brighton might continue skating regardless.
One begins to discern a rather peculiar civic philosophy: stop the clock, but keep the city skating.
What wonderfully strange times we live in.
Lady Bracknell, skating on thing ice