New image of how Dudley's £9 million ice rink will look

Planet Ice, which wants to open the venue in the town centre, has released a fresh image of the proposed 2,000-capacity arena in Flood Street.

The company, which has 14 ice rinks across the UK, said it will be submitting its planning application in the autumn, with construction expected to begin next year.

It is hoping to attract a professional ice-hockey team to be based at the venue, and will also be used to host concerts and sporting events.

The scheme, a partnership between Planet Ice, Dudley Council and developer Icities, is expected to create 50 jobs.

A spokesman for Planet Ice said: “Planet Ice is delighted to expand its brand legacy into the newest state of the art venue at Icities second ice arena development.

“As regional demand for ice sports reaches an all time high, Planet Ice is proud to deliver first class, premier services. We are especially excited to make history by bringing fast action, premium ice hockey to the Black Country for the very first time.”

Nick Payne, Director of Icities, said it would be the companies second arena development this year.

"After a long search for a new Ice Arena site in the West Midlands we are delighted to have found this prime location in the centre of Dudley,” he said.

"Importantly the development will be served by the West Midland Metro, sitting between the Dudley Interchange and Flood Street stations. Showing an example of why the new Metro expansion is bringing new investment and community facilities to the wider West Midlands region."

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, says the arena could give the town an attraction to rival Wolverhampton’s rejuvenated Civic Hall, attracting thousands of people.

He said while the venue’s normal capacity would be 2,000, with standing and seating areas, it would be able to increase that to 3,000 for sports events and concerts, comparable to Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall which has a standing capacity of 3,400.

“This will be the anchor site that brings in the investment and regeneration the town centre requires,” said Councillor Harley.

In April the council agreed in principle to lease the southern part of the Flood Street car park to Planet Ice, which will operate the venue. It will then sub-lease part of the complex to food-and-drink operators.

Councillor Harley said the new venue could potentially host major events such as the Grand Slam of Darts, which has been held in Wolverhampton in recent years.

Wolverhampton’s refurbished Civic and Wulfrun Halls, now rebranded The Halls, has been credited with boosting the city’s visitor economy by bringing big-name acts into the city, including Robbie Williams, the Fratellis and the Kaiser Chiefs.

Councillor Harley said there was no reason why the new ice rink could not do the same for Dudley.

“I would certainly hope it would,” he said. “It would be up to the operators, but I would think they would want to maximise their revenues.

“If you look at events like the darts, which has just finished at Aldersley, there is no reason why it could not be hosting events like that.

“You could have all sorts of different sports, you could have boxing matches there. It will bring back the confidence into the town.”