A REQUIREMENT to make provision for parking at Oxford Ice Rink has been annulled by councillors.
Oxford City Council’s cabinet met earlier this month with councillors agreeing to release the requirement.
An original OxWED LLP members’ agreement included a requirement from the council to provide 50 car parking spaces relating to the operation of the ice rink.
OxWED, a joint venture between the council and Nuffield College, sought release from the requirement.
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At the meeting, Linda Smith, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “We understand the need at the ice rink, with people training anti-social hours and for ice hockey players, in particular, with their cumbersome kit.
“I just want to make sure that if the ice rink is to be developed, then we fully explore the possibility of putting parking underneath part of the building or even the top part of the building.
“Or, if redevelopment isn’t going ahead in the short-term, then could we look at doing with that other buildings close by that are part of the OxWED redevelopment?”
Alex Hollingsworth, cabinet member for planning and housing delivery, responded: “The planning brief which we’ve set, both as a shareholder and a planning authority, is to essentially have car-free developments, so it would be a bit odd to then say to them ‘could you provide some car parking?’ which they weren’t otherwise going to provide.
“Undercroft car parking is also pretty expensive.”
Alex Hollingsworth, Oxford City Council cabinet member for planning and housing delivery. Picture: Jon Lewis
The Oxpens public car park adjacent to the ice rink is currently used by visitors but the ice rink operator, Fusion Lifestyle, has no formal agreement to use Oxpens.
A council report states: “There are proposals to redevelop the surface car park as part of the redevelopment of the Oxpens site, which is an allocated site in the Local Plan and is currently at pre-application stage with a planning application due for submission later this year.
“OxWED is requesting that the council makes a decision now on whether to release the requirement it has for land for car parking.
“A decision on this is needed urgently because, if car parking is to be provided as part of the new scheme, the master plan will need to be changed to accommodate the area ahead of a planning application, which is to be submitted later this year.
“There has been some very early consideration of relocating the ice rink within the city over the next 10 to 15 years when the existing rink will be close to end of its functional life.
“Among these are early considerations as to whether the ice rink could be relocated within the OxWED development.”
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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice