WORK will begin to construct a “bigger and better” Christmas ice rink in Bournemouth next week despite a lack of planning permission.

The Daily Echo was told on Monday that permission for the proposed rink in the Lower Gardens had been granted.

But yesterday a spokesman for Bournemouth council said a mistake had been made in the information given to the press and that the application is open for consultation until November 11.

A decision on whether or not to grant permission for the attraction can only be made when the consultation period is over but construction is still scheduled to start on October 24, with the rink advertised as opening on November 16.

A spokesman for the council said: “There is a limited amount of priority work which the developer can carry out which might not be regarded as being development requiring planning permission.

“Clearly we would not recommend that works are carried out before planning permission is obtained but where this occurs this is done entirely at the developer’s risk.

“At the present time the planning application is still at the consultation stage and the council are seeking the observations of Historic England given the listed status of the gardens.”

If approved the attraction will open to the public from November 16 until January 3. The 20m x 35m rink will accommodate up to 230 skaters per session and those behind the rink hope to attract between 20,0000 and 30,000 skaters in total.

The rink will be on one side of the main path through the Lower Gardens with a bar and food outlets on the other.

Last year’s rink - 16m x 30m and for 150 skaters - made a substantial financial loss.

A planning application states it will be “a memorable, stylish and enjoyable experience” and that Bournemouth will have “an ice rink envied by all other towns and cities in the UK.”

It will open at 10.30am and the likely closing times are 10pm for the rink and 11pm for the bar. It will cost £10 for adults, £9 for children and £33 for a family of four with reductions during off-peak times.