Designs for a proposed ice rink for Cambridge drawn up by architects Populous.

A PERMANENT ice rink in Cambridge has been on the cards for 14 years yet has never been realised.

Now for the first time in four years the city is without a temporary rink on Parker’s Piece, there is £2.5 million to spend on a centre, and thousands of people who want to skate – so where is it?

The rink has had several different potential locations since plans first arose but none of them has come to fruition – Cambridge West, Cambourne, North West Cambridge – but the Cambridge Leisure Ice Centre (CLIC) is still looking for a suitable spot.

The company formed for the sole purpose of delivering an ice rink to Cambridge has money in the bank after a former captain of the Cambridge University Ice Hockey team David Gattiker left £1 million to the university in his will. That fund now stands at £2.5 million after more contributions and investment.

Plans for an £11 million ice rink were drawn up for North West Cambridge in 2007 - the university’s 3,000-home development next to the M11 – but that has fallen through.

Professor Bill Harris, a director of CLIC and coach of the university’s ice hockey team, said a feasibility study shows an ice rink is needed.

“The report said a rink in Cambridge was feasible if we could find the land for a reasonable price,” he said.

“What we need is a developer to come in a help pull the full deal together. CLIC is still engaged in trying to find a way to pull it all together.

“We still have a huge part of the population who want a rink here. We still have a lot of support. We can throw our money into the pot and we don’t want anything back other than an ice rink.”

Studies show about two acres would be needed and Professor Harris said a simple option could cost between £4 and £5 million. He said some sites had been cited in the city but would not disclose where.

“I think the time will come. It will happen in Cambridge as there is a lot of interest, but I couldn’t tell you when,” he added.

The rink would have the backing of Cambridge City Council and a report by now defunct Cambridgeshire Horizons, involving the county council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, and Sport England, identified a need for an ice rink.

Cllr Rod Cantrill, executive councillor for arts, sport and public places for Cambridge City Council, said he would welcome a rink.

“Clearly there is a demand and that demand is demonstrated at Christmas time with the popularity of the Parker’s Piece rink,” he said.

He revealed there were two schemes currently alive – a joint venture with British Antarctic Survey (BAS), based in Cambridge, and plans to incorporate a rink into a new community stadium for Cambridge United.

“It is not dissimilar to the idea of the community stadium. We are a key stakeholder in the city and we are responsible for promoting and delivering sports facilities.

“We would work with another provider to make that happen.”

The Parker’s Piece ice rink is said to have attracted 150,000 people in four years but earlier this year Cambridge on Ice, who ran the rink, went bust.

Professor Harris stressed any facility would be for “town and gown” but BAS would also want to use the space as a visitor centre.

Athena Dinar, of BAS, said they could use the space to house the ice cores they bring back from Antarctica. The blocks of ice can be used to determine the amount of CO2 in air trapped in ice years earlier.

She said: “We have been having on-going discussions with CLIC about how we might be able to work together on an ice rink and how we could have a display area so we could tell the general public about the work we do.

“At the moment we are on the edge of the city (by M11) so people cannot really come by and see what we have to offer.”

The captain of Cambridge University’s Ice Hockey team, the Eskimos, said a Cambridge rink would save their team from going to Peterborough for training.

Kevin McGlynn said: “Even a few people who are not officially affiliated with the university pay to come along with us just because they know we go up there. It is not just the university pining for a rink.

“We have to get corporate sponsors every year just to pay the cost of going up there. If we had an ice rink in Cambridge, as a city, we could definitely have a team in one of the leagues. Most cities with rinks tend to have a pro-team affiliated with it.”