Cheltenham's Christmas ice rink approved despite concerns

One residents said they had to wear earplugs due to noise levels at last year's event

A temporary ice rink has been approved for the next three Christmases despite noise concerns from local residents.

Cheltenham Borough Council granted itself permission to use Imperial Gardens for temporary structures like the rink, at a meeting on 22 September.

More than a dozen objections were raised, with some locals complaining they had to use ear plugs because of noisy generators.

Seven councillors voted in favour of approving the plans and two against.

Objector Peter Grimley called on councillors to reject the scheme.

He said it would "contribute to air pollution" and it failed to recognise the "limitation of bio fuels used for the generators".

He said it would also harm the conservation area as it would be in place for 145 days, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS)reported.

However, planners said the generators will no longer be used after this year, as they hope to connect the temporary facility to the power grid.

Councillors said that overall there were more benefits than drawbacks to the plans as last year's event saw more than 43,000 using the rink.