Rink on ice as ING gets the puck out of Docklands
Mark Pallisco and Ben Schneiders, The Melbourne Age
20th March, 2007

Plans for a $60 million, world-class national ice sports centre in Dockalnds are likely to be shelved because of a lack of support from the private sector.

Premier Steve Bracks pledged $10 million to develop the two rinks before the 2002 election, but ING Real Estate Development Australia chief executive Greg Boyd has told Capital Gain "it is becoming less likely" that they much anticipated facility will find a home at Waterfront City.

Property industry sources say it is likely the skating rink, which was to be home to Australia's Winter Olympic Institute, will be relocated or shelved.

A consortium including ING Real Estate Development Australia, Ice Sports Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee's Olympic Winter Institute won the rights to build the skating rink in February last year.

At the time, Ice Sports Australia director Andrew Shelton said he expected construction to start before the end of the year. The consortium used its own money to pay designers here and in Canada to draw plans. These were unveiled by then state Minister for Sport and Recreation Justin Madden in October. It was expected that the private sector would jump on board during that time: it didn't.

Mr Boyd said a final decision would be required by June if the project was to get off the ground.

Insiders blame the location in the under-developed Waterfront City precinct for deterring developers from investing in the project.

"Stage one (of Waterfront City) has been a complete disaster," said one source. "Until ING develops the second stage and brings a critical mass of people to the area, developers will consider it a very risky project."

Another source described the situation as an "unmitigated disaster", with lots of money waiting to be lost.

Meanwhile, ice hockey, speed and figure skating are suffering. Two years ago, rinks at Bayswater and Geelong shut in anticipation of the Docklands facility.

It leaves just two smaller and older rinks in Victoria - at Oakleigh and Bendigo.