Portsmouth council on thin ice over Christmas rink planning blunder
Portsmouth council has given the Guildhall ice rink an eight-year extension after planning slip-up
Like the skaters who use it, Portsmouth City Council slipped up last year by allowing the Guildhall Square ice rink to be built without planning permission.
Councillors have now given the Guildhall Square attraction the go-ahead to return for the next eight festive seasons.
The previous permission covered a six-year period.
Councillor Carl Inman questioned why the new application sought permission for eight years, making it the longest approval period so far.
David Hodges, the council’s deputy chief planner, confirmed the previous six-year permission expired in 2024.
He added: “I think there wasn’t actually planning permission in for last year because the permission expired and I can’t find a temporary consent – we’ll gloss over our breach of planning control.”
Mr Hodges then clarified that the permission simply allows the rink to be installed during any of those eight years. It does not mean it has to appear every Christmas.
Cllr Inman welcomed the application, adding: “It makes a fantastic scene out on Guildhall Square” and moved the officers recommendation to approve, which was seconded by Cllr Denise Perry.
After the vote, committee chair Cllr Hugh Mason noted the rare event, saying: “for once we are unanimous”.
The application, submitted by S3K Group, allows the temporary ice rink to be installed from the day after Remembrance Day until all structures are removed by the second week of January each year.
A committee report says the attraction helps support the city centre during the festive period and points out there is no similar ice skating facility anywhere else in Portsmouth.