Streatham Ice Skating Action Group

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(*) Updated 12.09.14

For the most recent news see Campaign News. This page contains older items. See below for news on:

Streatham Retrospective in iSKATE Magazine (added 18.02.12)

Fifth Streatham Hub Newsletter (added 18.02.12)

1926 Time Capsule Discovered (added 18.02.12)

Planning Conditions on Appearance of Streatham Hub Approved (updated 01.02.12)

Pictures of the Development (updated 24.02.12)

Updated Website for Brixton Rink (updated 03.02.12)

Article about Brixton Rink in Event Magazine (added 03.03.12)

Redskins First Match in New Home (added 14.01.12)

Transition to Temporary Rink 18th-19th December 2011 (updated 21.12.11)

Fourth Streatham Hub Newsletter (added 21.12.11)

Closing Gala and End of Era Hockey Match 18th December 2011 (updated 01.01.12)

Rink on ITV London Tonight 16th December 2011 (added 17.12.11)

Car Park Management Plan for Temporary Rink Approved (updated 15.12.11)

Conservation of Stained Glass (added 27.10.11)

Third Streatham Hub Newsletter (added 23.10.11)

Progress on the Temporary Rink (added 16.09.11)

Request for Photos/Memorabilia for Closing Gala (added 16.09.11)

Second Streatham Hub Newsletter (added 09.09.11)

Update from Future Streatham (added 03.08.11)

Development Agreement sealed, enabling works starting! (updated 03.08.11)

Streatham Action Public Meeting 14th July 2011 (updated 29.07.11)

Decision on Variation of Streatham Hub Development Agreement (updated 29.07.11)

Draft revised Section 106 agreement published (added 09.07.11)

GLL/Freedom Leisure to run Guildford Spectrum (added 22.06.11)

Applications approved at PAC 14th June 2011 (updated 22.06.11)

Scheme approved by Tesco Board (added 08.06.11)

Application to discharge some conditions on Streatham Hub planning permission (updated 08.06.11)

Management of temporary rink (added 29.04.11)

Timescale for temporary rink and Streatham Hub development (added 13.04.11)

Decision Notice for temporary rink published (added 20.03.11)

Streatham Ice Rink 80th Birthday (updated 28.02.11)

For the next section see Campaign News - Archive W

Streatham Retrospective in iSKATE Magazine

The February 2012 issue of iSKATE Magazine (Issue 62) contains a 5-page article "Streatham Ice Arena - A Retrospective" covering the history of the Streatham rink from 1931 to 2011. There are copies of the printed magazine on sale for £3.50 at the box office of the Brixton rink. The e-zine digital version can be read online for £1.25 by registering at http://www.iskatemagazine.com. The article is on pages 34-38.

We understand there will be a second article about Streatham in the March issue.

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Fifth Streatham Hub Newsletter

VINCI Construction have issued a fifth newsletter to local residents VINCI Newsletter No 5 - Feb 2012

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1926 Time Capsule Discovered

While demolishing the old Streatham Swimming Baths, Vinci were surprised to discover an unexpected time capsule that had lain below the foundation stone for 86 years. Among the artefacts found inside were copies of contemporary local newspapers, the Streatham Times and Wandsworth Borough News. The capsule also contained detailed council papers documenting the minutes of meetings to decide upon the building of the Baths. The contents will now be stored at the Lambeth Archives.

The Vinci Construction website has an article about this in its “News and Downloads” section here. There was also an article in the South London Press on Tuesday 14th February 2012. (Both articles mistakenly refer to the capsule being under the ice rink, not the pool.)

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Planning Conditions on Appearance of Streatham Hub Approved

Two further conditions on the planning approval were approved at the Planning Applications Committee meeting on 31st January 2012.

  • the materials/appearance for the “Streatham Hub” development (partial discharge of Condition 3 of 08/03477/FUL) and
  • the details of the leisure centre canopy and fin or alternative design arrangements to provide the centre with a presence on Streatham High Road (Condition 4q of 08/03477/FUL)

The details are on the Council’s website in the Public Access Database under reference 11/04200/DET and 11/04198/DET respectively. To find the documents online using the planning application reference, see instructions here.

A presentation showing computer-generated images of the new Streatham Hub rink and leisure centre building and the wider scheme was prepared for presentation to the Committee. The PDF is here (3.5Mb - opens in new window)

Streatham Hub PAC Presentation - Jan 2012

There is a discussion of the changes to the scheme by Robert Doyle of the Streatham Society on the Streatham Action website here.

The papers for the PAC meeting (which will include the Minutes when published) are here.

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Pictures of the Development

The Picture Gallery includes pictures of the development in progress. If you have pictures to contribute, please Contact SISAG.

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Updated Website for Brixton Rink

An updated website for the Brixton Rink, including the termtime and holiday timetables, is now online at www.brixtonicerink.co.uk linking through to www.planet-ice.co.uk/brixton.

The telephone number shown on the website 0207 737 5034 is also now working.

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Article about Brixton Rink in Event Magazine

There is an article De Boer transforms Brixton car park into ice rink in the online Event Magazine 11 January 2012.

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Redskins First Match in New Home

Streatham Redskins’ first game in the new rink in Brixton took place on 7th January 2012 and drew one of their biggest crowds in years, as fans flocked to see the South London side take on league leaders Romford Raiders.

There is a report of the event here.

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Transition to Temporary Rink 18th-19th December 2011

The transition to the temporary rink has happened!

After a successful and well supported Closing Gala and End of Era Hockey Match the much-loved original Streatham Ice Rink closed on Sunday 18th December 2011. The Brixton Temporary Rink opened the following day Monday 19th December 2011 with a two-hour session from 2pm to 4pm. A fuller timetable operated from Tuesday onwards.

There are photos of the last days at Streatham and the first at Brixton in Pictures of the Development.

This is a major milestone. We look forward to reporting the transition to the new permanent Streatham rink in about two years time.

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Fourth Streatham Hub Newsletter

VINCI Construction have issued a fourth newsletter to local residents VINCI Newsletter No 4 - Dec 2011

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Closing Gala and End of Era Hockey Match 18th December 2011

There was a Closing Gala at Streatham on Sunday 18th December 2011 starting at 4pm with a Gala performance from 4 to 6pm followed by a party on the ice until 8pm. Here is the Gala Poster.

Streatham Redskins played a very special End of Era game at Streatham Ice Arena after the Gala. They managed to postpone their scheduled league match so as to be able to play at home on the last day. Many past and present Redskins players took part including a couple flying in specially for the occasion.

Here are some clips that have appeared on YouTube (clips open in new window):

Becky and Roland skating to Swan Lake
http://youtu.be/kEjVuNdlgTA
http://youtu.be/15OIdjTRqGI

Tracy, who is totally blind, skating the Blues with Roland
http://youtu.be/-jSR6OEQYJ0

The last session – the on-ice party, the giant conga
http://youtu.be/EI5M8FkpZ9o
http://youtu.be/_g6W5tfGxr4

The End of Era hockey match
http://youtu.be/ENjm7BvGWKI
http://youtu.be/9_TeeaOMj-g

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Rink on ITV London Tonight 16th December 2011

There was a nice piece about the rink closure on ITV London Tonight on Friday 16th December 2011

It is currently available here. though we don’t know how long it stays online.

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Car Park Management Plan for Temporary Rink Approved

It was a condition of the planning consent for the temporary rink (10/03425/FUL condition 13) that details of the proposed Parking Management Plan had to be reported to the Council’s Planning Application Committee for approval prior to the commencement of use.

The proposals were published under reference 11/03904/DET. To find the documents online using the planning application reference, see instructions here. This condition was approved at the Planning Application Committee meeting on 13 December 2011. The papers for the meeting including the planning officer's report and the minutes, when published, can be found here.

The other conditions ( 4. Opening Hours 5. Specifications and Layout 6. External Lighting 7. CCTV 8. Management/Maintenance 9. Cycle Racks 15. Delivery Services 17. Travel Plan 19. Boundary Treatment ) can be determined by officers without coming to Committee, but the documents were published on the planning website. The instructions and reference numbers are here.

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Conservation of Stained Glass

AOC Archaeology are the Heritage Consultants for the Streatham Hub redevelopment. There is an article on the conservation of the ceiling glass from Streatham Swimming Baths here.

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Third Streatham Hub Newsletter

VINCI Construction have issued a third newsletter to local residents VINCI Newsletter No 3 - October 2011

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Progress on the Temporary Rink

This information comes from Andrew Boyle, Tesco Project Manager, with permission to circulate it.

Work on the temporary rink is progressing well. The market traders have moved to their new car park on Canterbury Crescent. The ring beam is being poured in the week ending 16th September 2011 and the frame is due on site the following week. It is scheduled to be complete by 13th December. Although the dates are still subject to change, the current plan is for the temporary rink to open before Christmas, with the permanent Streatham Hub rink and leisure centre opening 23 months later in November 2013.

It has been possible to make the temporary rink building slightly bigger and its internal layout has been adjusted. The number of seats has been increased to 162 in two tiered rows.

The number of dedicated parking spaces is unchanged at 22, including 2 disabled bays. There have been meetings with Lambeth about revising the parking strategy in the area around the rink.

The agreement with Planet Ice to manage the facility will be complete by the end of September. Tesco are leasing them the building and Planet Ice will equip and run it. All equipment and hire skates will be new. Arrangements are being made to protect the ice time and fees of existing user groups, and to offer jobs to all existing staff.

There are updated photos of the Pope’s Road site at Pictures of the Development and a hoarding poster at Hoarding Poster.

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Request for Photos/Memorabilia for Closing Gala

There will be a Closing Gala at Streatham to mark the closing of the much-loved 1931 building, pending the transfer to the temporary rink and then the new permanent rink and leisure centre. We hope to have a big screen and project scanned photos or film from the rink’s rich past. If you have any photos or other items that you could lend to contribute to the display, please could you Contact SISAG.

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Second Streatham Hub Newsletter

VINCI Construction have issued a second newsletter to local residents VINCI Newsletter No 2 - September 2011

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Update from Future Streatham

An email update from Future Streatham is at Future Streatham e-update 3rd August 2011

It says the temporary rink is due to open "in the New Year". We have queried this with Lambeth, because previously dates of November/December 2011 have been given, and received the following reply: "The latest the temporary ice rink will open is early January 2012. I am sorry I cannot be more precise than this at the moment, but I will keep you informed."

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Development Agreement sealed, enabling works starting!

We have had confirmation from Lambeth that the Development Agreement and associated documents have been sealed and Tesco’s contractor will be doing hoarding and enabling works.

Staff from the contractor (VINCI Construction) were on site in the week beginning 25th July 2011. White lines have been painted on the edge of the Streatham site to mark the hoarding line. The project manager explained that it is at the boundary between Lambeth and TfL land. He also said that preparation for the demolition of the old Sunday School building next to the church some of the parking bays on the left side (as you face the rink) will be closed off. However, there will still be access to drive down that side and parking will be available at the back and on the other side.

VINCI Construction have issued a newsletter to local residents VINCI Newsletter No 1 - July 2011

Work on the temporary rink site in Pope's Road, Brixton, is due to start on Monday 1st August 2011. It is planned to take 14 weeks to construct and should be opening at the latest in early January 2012.

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Streatham Action Public Meeting 14th July 2011

Streatham Action held a public meeting at English Martyrs Church on Thursday 14th July at 7.00 pm.
For details see here.

Among the topics was an update on the Streatham Hub development. Councillor Nigel Haselden (Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Strategic Transport) said the signing of the development agreement and associated documents was “imminent” and enabling works would start in August, with major construction starting in November.

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Decision on Variation of Streatham Hub Development Agreement

The report on the decision to vary the Development Agreement on the Streatham Hub has been published on the Lambeth website here.

The Development Agreement was entered into on 7th December 2007 by the Council and Tesco and governs the relationship between them. The Agreement is to be varied as a consequence of the decision to use a temporary ice rink. The authority to make the necessary changes was delegated to council officers by Cabinet in March 2011. This is the report outlining the changes. (Although the wording implies that the actual deed of variation is included, it is not on the web page.)

The decision was initially wrongly classified as a "Key Decision" subject to Call In but the webpage has now been updated to correct this. The status of the decision has been updated to “Recommendations Approved”.

At the end of the report is a timetable:

Tesco and preferred contractor sign contract (OJEU Process completed) 8 July
Start on site temporary Ice Rink August 2011
Enabling works on Hub site August 2011
Open temporary ice rink November 2011
Open temporary car park on Buckner Road November 2011
Completion of permanent site End 2013
Decommissioning of temporary rink From end 2013

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Draft revised Section 106 agreement published

At the Planning Applications Committee on 2nd February 2011 (see below) the Committee approved application 10/04049/S106 which is the one allowing the Section 106 agreement for the Streatham Hub to be varied to use a temporary ice rink. The Committee required the draft agreement to be published on the Council’s website.

In line with this resolution, the draft agreement has now been published under reference 10/04049/S106. To find the document online using the planning application reference, see instructions here.

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GLL/Freedom Leisure to run Guildford Spectrum

GLL/Freedom Leisure has been appointed to run Guildford Borough Council's Leisure Management service, which includes Guildford Spectrum, for a 10 year contract from 1 November 2011. The announcement on the Spectrum website is here. The Council Executive minutes are here.

This is relevant because GLL has the contract to run Lambeth leisure centres including the new Streatham Hub centre. Until now, GLL had no ice rink experience. That now looks set to change.

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Applications approved at PAC 14th June 2011

At the Planning Applications Committee meeting on 14th June 2011, all four applications

  • 11/01056/FUL - Sub-station
  • 11/01057/FUL - Energy centre and extension to the service yard
  • 11/01058/FUL - Lobby to retail store
  • 11/01059/DET - Discharge of conditions on Streatham Hub application (including the one on the internal layout of the leisure centre, see description below).
were approved by the Committee.

At the beginning of the meeting were representations asking the Committee to defer the consideration because of problems with the consultation process. After advice from the legal officer that the statutory requirements had been met, they decided to proceed.

Almost all the discussion was about the discharge of conditions, and specifically the part about the layout of the leisure centre. The Chair of the committee expressed some surprise that they seemed to be being asked to consider this at a greater level of detail than is usual for planning decisions. The planning officer said that they needed to approve the position of the main elements, such as the pool, the gym, the ice pad, the spectator seating and the lobby. Beyond that they needed to be persuaded that the building envelope could deliver the service - it would be up to the operator to actually deliver it.

The management of Lambeth's leisure centres went out to tender in 2007 and was awarded to Greenwich Leisure. Their contract includes the Streatham leisure centre and some of the decisions about the layout have been as a result of discussions with them.

The issue of café provision and enclosed seating within the ice rink was raised by several speakers. Again they said the the allocation of refreshment areas within the building would be up to the operator. The area of tables and chairs shown at rink side is 43 m2. It is not currently enclosed. When asked, the architect confirmed that there was no technical reason it could not be enclosed if the operator wanted to do so. The role of the larger room on the second floor (marked "Community Rooms" on the plans) was also raised. There is an overall requirement for 415 m2 of community space. That is met by the two rooms on the ground floor and the second floor space is additional. As long as the operator delivers the correct amount of community space in the building as a whole they can choose how to do it, so they could potentially put in a café on the second floor.

There was also discussion of the hockey changing rooms, with queries about their size and the number of toilets and showers. The architect said that the previous arrangement of 4 changing rooms was changed to 6 after a meeting in 2008 and that the rooms had been benchmarked to standard changing room requirements of the ice hockey bodies.

The applicant confirmed that the missing off-ice doors to the players' benches and the DJ area would be reinstated.

On the question of how the complete replacement of the Zamboni would be handled, there is a removable wall panel at the back of the building to allow it to be hoisted in and out.

There was considerable discussion of the changes to the external appearance of the buildings, which now have a more horizontal rather than vertical feel, and use large areas of render. The Committee also felt that the front of the leisure centre needed to have a stronger presence on the High Road. In the end they approved the overall form and design (the condition under consideration at this meeting) and agreed that their concerns about breaking up the facade, and the stronger presence on the High Road, could be handled under the separate condition about the detailed materials that will come to Committee later.

The substation, energy centre and lobby seemed relatively uncontroversial, although there was some discussion about the addition of the lobby reducing the space in front of the store where the bus stops are.

This is the last consideration about the internal layout as far as the planning process is concerned. There will clearly be further development of the layout and fittings in discussion with the operator. The report said that "It is expected that the Council will continue to communicate with stakeholders throughout the construction phase to ensure they are updated as the scheme progresses". We pointed out that updating is not the same as consultation and asked for a stonger commitment by Lambeth to consult with the users. The representative of Leisure said that was their intention.

This was a three hour meeting and obviously this account does not include everything that was discussed. The minutes of the meeting are here. The commitment to further consultation is minuted as follows (page 6):

There was a necessity for further consultation about changes in the layout. It was noted that this was not in the remit of the Committee but officers present from Adults and Community Services committed the Council to consult with interested parties in future regarding the layout and facilities provided in the Leisure Centre.

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Scheme approved by Tesco Board

Tesco's board have given final approval to the scheme. Work will be starting on the main site in mid August and the Temporary Ice Rink in Brixton in mid July.

Andrew Boyle, Development Project Manager for Tesco said:

I hope you'll enjoy the temporary rink for the two years as we've done our utmost to give you the best available. And the new Leisure Centre will be a fabulous facility for all of Lambeth. I'm sure you will not be disappointed as my team and I will do our best to ensure its delivered on time and to a quality befitting the local community.

Here's to a successful project.

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Application to discharge some conditions on Streatham Hub planning permission

Applications have been submitted with respect to various conditions on the Streatham Hub planning permission, including partial discharge of one about the internal arrangement of the leisure centre. The application reference is 11/01059/DET.

The description is:

Discharge of various conditions pursuant to planning permission ref; 08/03477/FUL for the redevelopment of the site to provide a leisure complex (ice rink, swimming pool, health and fitness facilities and community uses), 250 residential units, including affordable housing, a retail store, bus lay-over, public square together with associated car parking and servicing (known as the "Streatham Hub" development).

The conditions to be discharged are:

  • Part discharge of condition 3 in respect of the building envelopes, elevational treatment of the building, access strategy, parking arrangements,and amenity space;
  • Part discharge of condition 4 in respect of (j) the internal arrangement of the leisure centre, (i) refuse strategy for the leisure centre, (n) positioning of the hardstanding for the chemical deliveries to the leisure centre, (o) the ground floor levels to each of the buildings, (p) the ground floor flat gardens and their means of enclosure or alternative use of this space for residents and (q) the leisure centre canopy and find or alternative design arrangements to provide the centre with a presence on Streatham High Road:
  • Condition 16 in respect of the west boundary wall.
  • Condition 17 in respect of the proposed roof cover over the food store service yard.
  • Condition 21 in respect of the provision and layout of the 250 residential cycle spaces for residents.
  • Condition 22 in respect of the number and location of cycle parking spaces for the non-residential elements of the scheme.
  • Condition 23 in respect of the roof line of the leisure centre as viewed from Natal Road.
  • Condition 32 in respect of the layout of the car parking site .
  • Part discharge of condition 36 in respect of the storage and collection of refuse and recycling for the leisure centre.
  • Condition 37 in respect of the ramp leading to the residents car park.
  • Condition 39 in respect of the screening of the ramp leading to the residents car park.

There are also three other related applications:

  • Erection of a sub-station to serve the development, reference 11/01056/FUL
  • Erection on any energy centre and extension to the service yard for the development, reference 11/01057/FUL.
  • Erection of an entrance lobby to the retail store, reference 11/01058/FUL.

To view the applications online, see instructions here.

SISAG's letter in response to the application is here.

The applications are due to be considered by the Lambeth Planning Applications Committee on Tuesday 14th June 2011. The report and papers for the meeting are here.

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Management of temporary rink

This information comes from Andrew Boyle, Development Project Manager for Tesco, and we have his permission to circulate it.

Tesco intend to appoint Planet Ice, an experienced ice rink operator, to operate the temporary rink on a purely management basis employed by Tesco Plc. The operators have agreed to implement all the promises Tesco have made, including

  • to preserve the current rink timetable so that all groups keep their existing ice time
  • to reserve the whole car park for the use of the Werewolves special needs hockey club during their sessions and reimburse them for any additional paid parking they may require
  • to employ those staff from Streatham who wish to work at the Brixton site.

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Timescale for temporary rink and Streatham Hub development

This information comes from Andrew Boyle, Development Project Manager for Tesco, and we have his permission to circulate it. He says "I must stress that the timescale below is our desired programme and is still subject to delays not of our making. I can however assure you my team and I are fully committed to delivering this scheme and will do all in our power to make it happen".

Demolition of the Pope's Road car park is complete and the site is being surveyed prior to the final design stage for the temporary rink. They expect construction of the temporary rink to start on site in the summer and for it to be operational at the end of November 2011. They plan to use a company called De Boer, a specialist in temporary buildings, to build it.

The main Streatham Hub scheme is now out to tender. On current plans the demolition of some buildings on the site (NOT the ice rink) could start in parallel with the building of the temporary rink. The existing ice rink will remain open until the temporary rink is open. After that the main construction can start and the permanent leisure centre, including the new rink, is expected to open in November 2013.

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Decision Notice for temporary rink published

As described below, the decision to grant planning approval for the temporary rink was taken at the planning application committee meeting on 2nd February 2011. The Decision Notice has now been published and is available here.

At the meeting we expressed concern that the opening hours would not be sufficient to allow the training sessions as they are at the existing rink. This has been addressed by separating the condition on the operating hours into two. Condition 3 restricting the hours to 7am to 11pm now refers specifically to "general public use". There is a new condition 4 allowing longer hours for sports development skating to be submitted and approved before the opening of the rink.

As expected from discussion at the meeting, condition 13 about the parking management plan specifies that when disabled user groups have their sessions, the whole of the car park will be reserved for their use.

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Streatham Ice Rink 80th Birthday

The 80th anniversary of the opening of Streatham Ice Rink was on 26th February 2011.

In the years from 1927 to 1940 there was a great expansion of ice skating in the UK. For eight years prior to 1927 the Manchester Ice Palace was the only rink, but in the next 13 years 33 rinks opened. These included Streatham Ice Rink, opened on 26th February 1931. 3000 people attended the opening.

The rink was designed by Robert Cromie, a prolific designer of cinemas in the 1930s. The original ice surface was 210 ft. long by 100 ft. wide. This is about 10-15 feet bigger in each direction than today’s ice surface - the area was reduced in 1951 to make room for 800 more seats.

In 1931, before the Rink opened, Mr J.W. Davidson, secretary of the Streatham Congregational Church, responded to a question about the opening of the Rink next to the church with the remark “We do not like it, of course. Personally, I do not think it will last long.” He was to be proved wrong!

After Queen’s Ice Rink (opened 1930) it is the second oldest UK ice rink still open today.

There are pictures of the 80th birthday cake and celebration at Rink 80th birthday. The display about the 1931 opening is still up in the rink foyer.

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For older news see Campaign News - Archive W

Page last updated: 23rd November 2012