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18
Jan 2024
Council says ice rink organiser will fund repairs to Harrogate's Crescent Gardens
North Yorkshire Council has said the company that ran the Harrogate Ice Rink will cover the cost of repairs to Harrogate’s Crescent Gardens.
Crescent Gardens housed the ice rink and other festive attractions over Christmas and the New Year.
Now they have been dismantled, the area appears to be in need of some maintenance, with the grass in poor condition.
The pavilion, which was closed in October last year after a group of rough sleepers occupied it, remains fenced off.
Crescent Gardens photographed yesterday.
The Stray Ferret contacted the council to ask how much repairs to the area would cost the taxpayer.
Jonathan Clubb, the authority’s head of parks and grounds, responded:
Mr Clubb also said matting was used to protect the ground and has recently been removed to allow the parks team “to work on the area to tidy and reseed where necessary once the weather permits”.
Large amounts of ice remain on site.
Landscaping makeover
Crescent Gardens underwent a £21,000 makeover before the Christmas event opened. A rose arch and new flower beds were planted in October to improve the area.
The work was approved by Harrogate Borough Council in February, shortly before it was abolished. North Yorkshire Council now manages the area.
A report at the time by Kirsty Stewart, the former council’s parks and ground maintenance manager, said “we would like to take the opportunity to upgrade the area to enable better accommodation of future events with less disruption to the planting in this area”.
It added the three-year licence for Christmas activities, which included the Harrogate Ice Rink, would “generate a minimum income of £37,500 per year”.
However, following complaints of rusty skates and poor surface conditions, Events by Cynosure – which operates the ice rink -- told the Stray Ferret earlier this month it had “no plans to return” in 2024 for what would have been its third year.
The company said this was due to “sustained losses from the weather and lack of footfall in the area”.
The Stray Ferret contacted Events by Cynosure to ask how much work to Crescent Gardens would cost, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Read more:
- Harrogate Ice Rink organiser says it has 'no plans' to return this year
- Rose arch erected -- but will Harrogate's Crescent Gardens be renamed?
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