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Plans announced for Teesside ice rink

Plans are underway to build Hartlepool’s very first ice rink at the town’s innovative Sports Domes development.

Site owners have submitted a planning application to construct the year-round ice rink along with a 1,200-seater auditorium next to the existing football and golf domes.

It is hoped the facility will double up as an exhibition and performance space to host everything from dance competitions and boxing bouts, to business conferences, events and concerts.

Sports Domes founder Brian Morton said: “We have always been very ambitious for The Sports Domes and establish it as a national brand.

“The success of the Hartlepool Sports Domes since opening in February has given us great confidence to press ahead with plans for the ice-rink. We want to give the people of Hartlepool a venue that is far more than an ice-rink, it can also be used for sporting events and competitions.”

Plans for the ice rink and auditorium have been submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council and, if permission is granted, the facility will be built on land behind the existing fitness suite.

The £7m facility has attracted thousands of footballers, golfers and other sports enthusiasts.

It is one of the first inflatable sports domes in the country with the largest of the two domes hosting six five-a-side football pitches while the second is aimed at golfers of all levels with a putting trail, four golf simulators – based on more than 80 real international courses – a chipping green, indoor driving range and a shop.

In addition to the domes, there is also a state-of-the-art gym with membership for around 2,000 people including a sensory room to stimulate disabled children and an interactive room aimed specifically at youngsters.

Mr Morton added: “We are very excited about the development of the ice-rink and are confident that we can secure planning permission.

“A venue of this size and quality is something the people of Hartlepool have been asking about for a long time, so we hope to start building as soon as permission is granted.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .