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 | | Monday, 22 October, 2001, 12:53 GMT 13:53 UK 'Mistakes' cost ice centre �1m  The building costs of the centre were �7m over budget The National Ice Centre in Nottingham has made an operating loss of nearly �1m in its first year. City council bosses have admitted that management have made mistakes at the centre. Initial estimates of the running costs were not high enough, according to a Nottingham City Council report. The centre cost �43m to build, almost �7m over the council's budget. National importance This has left the council facing interest payments on a loan of �14.5m.
Council chiefs appointed Geoff Huckstep as chief executive to address the problems at the centre. He said: "I was brought in to look at the operation as a whole and I'm going through an operational review. "I'm looking at every aspect of the centre's operation." The centre is the home to Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team which has seen its attendances nearly double in the last year. It also hosts events such as "Toy Story on Ice" which is currently running there. Councillors say that despite the losses the centre plays an important part in promoting Nottingham nationally. The report goes on to say that it has attracted tourism to the city and helped to regenerate the Lace Market area of the city. Councillor Graham Chapman, leader of Nottingham City Council, said: "We acknowledge that some things could have been done better but we are sorting those issues out. "We must not lose sight of the benefits the centre has brought to Nottingham in terms of profile and spin-off regeneration." More than 500,000 people visited the centre in its first year. | |   Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top England stories now:  Links to more England stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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