Dundonald International Ice Bowl Olympic ice skating rink and Belfast Giants venue: SDLP and Alliance Party clash over plans for £52m upgrade

The Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh, councillor Andrew Gowan, said Dundonald International Ice Bowl (DIIB) has brought more than half a million people to Dundonald every year since opening in 1986.

“As the only Olympic-sized ice rink in Northern Ireland and on the island of Ireland, it is the training home for the Belfast Giants and provides unique facilities for elite ice skaters to develop their talents,” he said.

However, he added that after 37 years, the building is “no longer fit for purpose”. He expects visitor numbers to rise to over 700,000 in the first year of the new centre, which will be built behind the existing rink. The existing ice bowl will remain open during construction.

Local Alliance Party representatives warmly welcomed the news.

Councillor Sharon Lowry said: “The Ice Bowl is part of the fabric locally but the benefits of the redevelopment will be far-reaching, and this investment in the area stands to promote tourism, economic activity, job creation and employment in the local area, providing invaluable facilities for both locals and visitors from across Northern Ireland.”

Her party leader, East Belfast MLA Naomi Long, agreed.

“This is such a welcome and significant step forward for Dundonald and east Belfast, and I’m greatly pleased to see progress made in securing the redevelopment of the DIIB, especially after such a long and winding process to get to this point,” she said.

However, SDLP councillors voted against the plan at a full council meeting on Tuesday.

Group leader councillor John Gallen said: “The SDLP has raised serious concerns, as yet unaddressed, about the impact of this financial commitment on our ratepayers and under-served constituents in other parts of the LCCC area.”

Castlereagh South, which includes Carryduff, Four Winds and Newtownbreda, had a capital spend in this area in 2015-2021 of £49 per person compared to Lisburn South which was £270, and £141 in Castlereagh East where the ice bowl is.

“Castlereagh South is an area where a number of projects are currently in need of funding and with so much money committed to the ice bowl there is a real possibility that other groups in need will see their plans kicked into the long grass,” he said.

Laura Watt, treasurer of Dundonald Ice Skating Club, applauded the news.

“The committee and members of Dundonald Ice Skating Club are absolutely delighted that the rebuild of DIIB has been given the green light and we will have a modern state-of-the-art facility for figure skating in Northern Ireland that will be the envy of the figure skating clubs in Great Britain,” she said.