Further delay for Banbridge Ice Dome

The rink was originally due to open at Bridgewater Park before Christmas but was delayed until Spring. And now in what has been labelled a “disappointing” move, it has emerged a rink will not be built until next year at least, but Innovative Leisure Systems Managing Director Sam Curran sought to reassure locals that he still has an interest in the area.

“We have made it clear to the council that we still have a definitive interest in Banbridge,” Sam told the Leader, explaining that he is willing to look at any other suitable sites in the area.

The dome, marketed as being part of a “centre of sporting excellence” at Bridgewater Park beside the Outlet, was to be built as a similar model to a facility in Dundalk which, until recently, attracted as many as 200,000 visits annually.

Mr Curran, who is due to begin a project at Junction One in Antrim, said a more suitable future possibility for Banbridge would be building one or two smaller ice rinks.

“We’ll see how it works out at Junction One and then look at our possibilities in Banbridge,” he said. “We’d be talking about two smaller rinks used for ‘Learn to Skate’ programmes rather than building the full-size hockey rink.”

Mr Curran insisted his company’s commitment to the A1 corridor, where Bridgewater Park sits, remains.