North Ryde's Beloved Macquarie Ice Rink Will Be Demolished Next Year
To make way for multimillion-dollar upgrades to the shopping centre.
It has been the training ground for Olympians and a cool escape from the summer heat for many little (and big) Sydneysiders for 39 years, but as of next January, the Macquarie Ice Rink will be no more. It will be demolished to make way for multimillion-dollar upgrades to the Macquarie Centre.
The announcement was made earlier this week in a press release sent out by the owners of the ice rink, who revealed that AMP Capital, the owners of the shopping centre, would be ending the ice rink's lease on January 31, 2020. "It is a devastating blow to the many thousands of people who use the ice rink," it said in the statement.
The ice rink's owner Dr Frank Gregg said the timing was particularly bad, with the ice rink given a $3.5 million upgrade just last year. "We recently spent millions of dollars refurbishing the ice rink and laying new ice for the athletes and the public," Dr Gregg said in a statement.
In response to the announcement, a Change.org petition was launched, and has since garnered 17,165 signatures. Dr Gregg is hoping this will help convince AMP to reverse its decision, saying, "We are still in negotiations with AMP and hopeful that they will their mind".
According to News Corp, the shopping centre's $195 million redevelopment would include improved links from the shopping centre to the train station and bus interchange as well as a public plaza, which would impact the space where the ice rink is currently located.
https://www.facebook.com/macquarieicerink/posts/2513306518686394
In the meantime, you still have 12 months to visit the Macquarie Ice Rink, which is open to the public at various times throughout the week and all-day on Sunday, as well as for disco sessions on Friday nights.
Macquarie Ice Rink is slated for closure on January 31, 2020. We'll let you know if anything changes.
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