Plans for Lancaster's popular outdoor Christmas ice rink to return have been rubber stamped by councillors.
Organisers of the rink in Dalton Square applied earlier this year to allow the attraction to run on a permanent basis for six weeks each winter, from November to January.
The council planning regulatory committee - a cross-party group of elected councillors – met on Monday and gave the attraction the thumbs up.
Lancaster On Ice is the brainchild of Martin and Hannah Horner, who run the nearby pub, restaurant and hotel The Borough (below).
Two applications were approved - one for "temporary change of use of land for the siting of a Christmas market and ice rink, comprising market stalls, a food and beverage marquee, fairground rides, an observation wheel, and associated infrastructure and facilities (including chillers, skate exchange tent, electrical cabinet, fencing, hoardings, access ramps and barriers)" and the other a "listed building application for the construction of temporary ice rink and erection of temporary fencing and hoardings".
A council report, published ahead of the meeting, says: "The application seeks to build on the success of the last seven years of the Lancaster on Ice event and represents an exciting opportunity for the temporary use of a historic public space.
"Whilst the proposal will result in a degree of harm to the setting of designated heritage assets, this impact would be temporary and fully reversible."
The report recommended that full planning permission and listed building consent be granted, subject to a number of conditions.
The listed building application was needed because the Queen Victoria monument, that the ice rink surrounds in Dalton Square, is Grade II* listed and the balustrades around the square are Grade II listed.
The square is surrounded buildings including the Grade II* listed Lancaster Town Hall and the Grade II listed Palatine Hall.
Lancaster On Ice has become a popular fixture of the Christmas season in Lancaster, and in 2019 won the Lancaster Tourism Award for best Large Event.
This year, the rink surrounding the Queen Victoria Memorial will open to the public from late November until early January, and is expected to attract thousands of visitors.
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