The company behind a winter ice rink in Windsor has denied wrongdoing in the wake of an enforcement investigation from RBWM.

Windsor on Ice, held in Alexandra Gardens, is a seasonal event centred around a temporary ice-skating rink surrounded by fairground attractions.

Permission for this was granted at a council meeting in September (25/01838/FULL). It allows Windsor on Ice to run from October to January 2025-26 every year until 2027-28.

But the Royal Borough has said the developer did not meet all the conditions for the large event prior to going ahead.

Permission hinged on developers meeting conditions over sustainability, impact on wildlife, landscaping, biodiversity and lighting, among others.

Documents stated ‘no development shall take place’ until those conditions were agreed.

Applicants Cities on Ice (part of ABC Structures) submitted a separate ‘discharge of conditions’ application (25/02811/CONDIT), intended to demonstrate how they will meet these conditions and asking the council to approve these plans.

This was received in October – however in March, the Royal Borough refused this conditions application.

They said there was not enough detail in it regarding how the developers were going to protect the site and minimise negative impacts.

As such, planning officers felt the positives of Windsor on Ice ‘would not outweigh the cumulative harms.’

But this refusal came ‘after the fair had been and gone’ causing concern for residents.

Sarah Walker, member of the Windsor Conservatives, said: “It is a failure of governance and leaves our public realm unprotected. These are legal requirements – not optional extras.”

A council spokesperson confirmed that works ‘began before conditions were fully met’.

As such, its planning enforcement team opened an investigation and the developer ‘was required to remedy the breach.’

“The information they submitted to meet those conditions has now been assessed and found to be insufficient,” said the spokesperson. “As a result, we have required the developer to provide more robust and detailed information before any future events can take place this winter.”

However, a spokesperson for ABC Structures said ‘at no point’ did it proceed without the necessary permissions.

“Windsor on Ice proceeded on the basis of approvals in place at the time, including the discharge of relevant conditions to allow the event to operate,” they said.

“There were no issues that warranted enforcement action while they were considering the details submitted under the conditions.

“As with many temporary events of this nature, there is an ongoing process with the local authority in relation to the detail and refinement of certain submissions.

“In March of this year, we were advised by the Royal Borough’s planning department that aspects of previously discharged conditions required further review, and we are now working closely with them to provide any additional information requested as part of that process.

“We remain committed to working collaboratively with the Royal Borough to ensure all requirements are fully satisfied for future events.”