THE final hurdle has been cleared for the return of a temporary Christmas ice rink to Southampton.
Council planners yesterday gave the go ahead to transform the forecourt of the Civic Centre into a winter wonderland.
Cousins Entertainment (CE), set up by 1980 Olympic gold medallist Robin Cousins, won permission to build the temporary ice rink, announced earlier this year.
CE operations director Alan Abretti, a former British champion, said 50,000 people were expected to take to the ice.
The 20m by 30m rink, which will be run commercially by CE, will have enough room for 200 skaters at any one time.
It will be open from November 21 until January 11, excluding Christmas Day.
Advance tickets, up to £8.50 for adults, £6.50 for children, students, and concessions, and £28 for families for an hour session, go on sale from Monday.
The Civic Centre car park will close and alternative parking options will be made for visitors.
A previous temporary Christmas rink in 2006 at the Guildhall, pictured above, attracted more than 16,000 skaters but made a £60,000 loss for the council because of poor planning and sponsorship.
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