Plans to Demolish North Ryde's Beloved Macquarie Ice Rink Have Been Put on Hold

As temperatures soared across Australia this week, one of Sydney's chilliest spots received bad news, with the Macquarie Ice Rink slated for demolition to make way for multimillion-dollar upgrades to the Macquarie Centre. An unhappy turn of events for the generations of Sydneysiders who've flocked to the facility over the past 39 years, the move has been met with community backlash — and now the shopping centre's owner, AMP Capital, is reconsidering its plans.

In a statement, the company announced that it "has asked City of Ryde Council to put on hold the centre's development application while there is further community consultation about the proposal". The pause comes as a Change.org petition to save the site has garnered 22,363 signatures.

Macquarie Ice Rink has been the training ground for Olympians and a cool escape from the summer heat for many little (and big) Sydneysiders since 1980. As part of AMP Capital's original plans, the facility was set to be torn down in January 2020. 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.

After first revealing the rink's demolition in a press release earlier this week — which revealed its lease would finish at the end of January next year — the ice rink's owners have welcomed AMP Capital's announcement, but note that the site hasn't been rescued yet. "This is the first step in what could be a very long battle to save Macquarie Ice Rink," said Dr Frank Gregg in a statement. "It shows what people power can do and I would like to thank the community for their overwhelming support. I would urge everyone to now contact AMP and tell them that an Olympic-size ice rink at the Macquarie Centre is a must now and into the future."

The initial news of Macquarie Ice Rink's demolition was a case of particularly bad timing, with the ice rink given a considerable 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 originally revealed. In his latest statement, he explained that "there is no way I would have spent $3.5 million dollars upgrading the rink if I expected it to close on January 31, 2020".

For those eager to provide their thoughts on the potential revamp, Macquarie Centre will display plans on level three of the shopping centre during the development application process — and will make staff available to discuss the proposal from 10am–1pm on Saturday, January 19, 11am–2pm on Monday, January 21 and 5–8pm on Thursday, January 24 as part of AMP Capital's feedback process.

While the situation plays out, you still have at least 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.

While Macquarie Ice Rink was originally slated for closure on January 31, 2020, we'll keep you updated with changes as the situation progresses.