Streatham temporary ice rink could move to Pope's Road car park site

The Pope's Road car park has emerged as a potential site to house the temporary Olympic-sized rink while the Streatham Hub is built.

It was announced earlier this month the crumbling council car park near Brixton Station is to be demolished. Town hall planners are now considering the location as a site for the rink.

Other options include the site of the former MI5 building close to Sainsbury's in Streatham High Road, and the controversial site of Streatham common.

Plans to move one of Streatham's most iconic attractions - even temporarily - out of the town centre are also controversial, especially for local businesses.

Streatham Hill ward councillor Ashley Lumsden said: “The rink is a Streatham facility and brings people to the area.

“At a time when we need to be strengthening Streatham as we come out of the recession, we do not want to lose an important part of the local economy to Brixton.”

He urged the council to consider a site by Woodmansterne primary school in Streatham Vale where a field owned by the council could be used, and a deal struck with a neighbouring sports club Norbury Power League to use its car park.

However the council said that site is not served by enough transport links to be considered suitable.

Trevor Hutton, from ice rink campaign group Skaters 4 the Hub, agreed. He said: “That site is too remote to remain popular with the many people who visit now using public transport.”

WHERE SHOULD THE RINK GO?

Where to house the temporary rink has proved to be something of a headache for Lambeth Council and Tesco, which has agreed to pay for it.

Their preferred option of Streatham Common has proved unpopular with residents.

Close to a thousand residents have now signed a petition by campaign group Hands Off Our Common objecting to the rink being put on the common.

Council officers have concerns over the size, and cost of using the MI5 site, now owned by Access Self Storage.

The Pope's Road site is also predicted to cause some controversy, because it would mean stationing the rink away from Streatham.

Traders from nearby Brixton Market have also been campaigning to keep the site as a car park, arguing they have suffered a 50 per cent drop in takings since it was closed in December for health and safety reasons.

Mr Hutton said it was important for people to find the most suitable site but that people had to stop fighting themselves as no-one wanted the temporary rink not to happen.

He said ultimately he wanted to see a popular project come to fruition, but not at the risk of not having a rink or it being delayed.

A council spokesman said: “We are exploring and investigating a number of options for the temporary ice rink, including Streatham common, the Pope’s Road car park in Brixton, and a site in Streatham High Road.

“At present those investigations are still ongoing and we will let people know more about the most viable option when that decision has been made.”

The decision to build the temporary rink was made after crisis talks over the future of the Streatham Hub development.

In March it was announced Tesco wanted to change how the leisure, housing and supermarket development was delivered by levelling the entire site, including Streatham ice rink, at the same time.

Previously it had agreed to build and open a new leisure centre and ice rink before the two current facilities were knocked down.

But where do you think the ice rink should go? Are the current plans the right ones? Or do you have an alternative scheme you think could work?

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