THE dream of setting up a temporary ice rink in Southampton over Christmas has been scrapped.

Developers of the city's giant arena Bravo have confirmed that the planned ice rink - due to be located between WestQuay and The Quays in Western Esplanade from December 11 - will no longer go ahead.

Bravo bosses say the rink will not be up and running until next year - possibly during the Easter school holidays.

Patrick Nally chief executive of Bravo told the Daily Echo that the firm had run into "legal technicalities", which meant the ice rink could not go ahead as scheduled.

He said: "We are having to put it back. The lawyers took longer than we thought. We will not be able to get our paperwork in place this side of Christmas."

Dubbed 'Family Ice Magic', the rink would have been the first time families would have been able to skate in Southampton since the city's mourned Top Rank ice rink in Bannister Park closed in 1988, despite a massive campaign to save it.

Southampton's arena developers, Bravo, were hoping to set up the rink to give residents a flavour of the facilities that are to be included in the city's £50m West Quay Stage Three Project.

News of the demise of the ice rink comes just days after the Daily Echo revealed that the city will be staging a German Christmas market from today until December 22.

The temporary rink would have formed part of Southampton's range of Christmas events, which include a carnival parade on December 12 in the city centre staged by Thornhill residents, a spectacular laser light show

on December 16, which is due to be staged by Southampton University at the Bargate, and the city's Christmas lights display.

City centre manager Ian Rothwell said: "It is a real shame. I think it will be a good Christmas anyway.

"We have the German market setting up in the precinct and lots of other activities planned including a laser show. I am still looking forward to an excellent Christmas."

Southampton's head of tourism and leisure, Councillor Peter Wakeford, added: "We are disappointed it is not going to take place over Christmas as we first envisaged.

"But we are delighted that the possibility of the ice rink can be brought forward at some point after Christmas and is still there on the agenda."

The Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Dennis Harryman will be opening the German Christmas market in Above Bar, at 1.30pm today.