Ice rink plans withdrawn after attraction closes

A planning application for a temporary ice rink which has already closed following the festive season has been withdrawn.

Seventa Events opened the attraction, part of the Christmas offering in Lower Gardens in Bournemouth, while it was waiting for planning permission.

In November, a planning committee said the rink could stay in place but the applicant needed to comply with biodiversity targets before permission could be granted.

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) said it was considering its next steps after the application was withdrawn on Wednesday.

The plans, submitted in June, were recommended for refusal due to the "unauthorised removal of a cherry tree" and because the application itself was "not compliant".

BCP deputy leader Mike Cox previously said the recommendation had been due to a "strange quirk" in biodiversity-net-gain (BNG) legislation.

The rink and Christmas attraction opened on 13 November but on 20 November, councillors referred the application back to officers to allow organisers more time to resolve the biodiversity requirement to improve the natural environment.

No decision was issued and the ice rink remained open until the end of the season on 4 January.

BCP chief operations officer Glynn Barton said: "We're aware the applicant has withdrawn their planning application and we are reviewing our next steps."

The Skate Bournemouth website states the ice rink will return in November 2026.