THE chair of the Basingstoke Ice Rink Users Forum, the group campaigning to save the facility in the town, has said the news that it could be lost in as little as six months adds a “new level of jeopardy” to ongoing issues.

Sally Cashman attended the meeting of the council’s Community Environment Partnership (CEP) committee last week, where she revealed that, if work is not carried out soon, owners Standard Securities may look at scrapping the rink completely.

There is a clause in its lease which allows them to apply to the council to change what the building is used for from as early as April 2021.

“It honestly didn’t occur to me that the councillors would not know. I found that a little surprising, I thought it was a bit strange,” Mrs Cashman told the Gazette.

“The ice rink has been in a pretty poor state for some time now.

“Over a year ago, a report said the rink could last for years, or it could fail tomorrow.”

Mrs Cashman said the main issue is with the header trench, where the pipes converge.

“As long as the pipes do not break, then there will be an ice pit,” she explained.

“We have always had this jeopardy hanging over us.

“Standard Securities now have concerns about the state of the building which is just a new level of jeopardy.”

Speaking of the possibility that the ice rink may be closed down permanently, Mrs Cashman said: “Standard Securities may not decide to go down that road, but they may think, this is our asset and we want to make sure the building is ok. We hope not.”

“Time has been running out for the ice rink for years. This has just put a time-scale on it. Whereas before we had the uncertainty of the rink could fall down or could last years, now we hear it could be six months, and there’s a real, tangible reason for those six months.

“They need to agree between them how it is going to be funded, and how long it is going to take. If it is more than six months, which it seems it will be, then we will need a temporary ice rink.

“A small, temporary ice rink will work for most users, but it won’t keep the Bisons ticking over. There is another problem.”

The Basingstoke Bison ice hockey team are not currently playing due to coronavirus restrictions, as crowds are not allowed, and games can’t financially operate at reduced capacity. But if matches resume, they will need somewhere to hold them.

“Everything is very uncertain at the moment. Ice hockey is one of those sports that’s in suspended animation. Lots of sports are, but this one is close to my heart.”

Sally Cashman praised the way Planet Ice has adapted to the pandemic, and highlighted how valuable a resource it is to so many local people, including as a venue for ice dance, synchronised skating, figure skating, recreational ice hockey, junior Bisons training, the Buffalo ice hockey team, and public skating.

She said: “We have already lost Bracknell rink for this area of the county, we can’t afford to lose another.

“It is a social hub. It is a sports hub. Some people tend to forget that it’s a sports facility as well as a leisure facility. There are sports that would have nowhere to go.

“I think it is a very positive place and a good facility for exercise, which I know both the county council and government are interested in.”

When asked about whether she feels last week’s meeting helped her gain answers, and what she’d like to see happen next, Mrs Cashman said: “I am not particularly having a go at the council. I think a lot of people overlook the benefits of the ice rink.

“I don’t think the committee had the answers to give. They had only just received the report from Plant Ice.

“What I want from the December meeting is for all parties to be there, including the portfolio-holder, and for them to have some definite ideas.

“That means Planet Ice, Standard Securities and the council have to keep talking to each other.”